Someone Like You, Someone Like Me
by Kimmimaru
Summary: *REMASTERED*They never thought about the risks involved, their only goal was to help their friend…they didn't consider how, in a single night, everything they knew and loved could be torn to shreds by tooth and claw. JP/SB and RL/SB(Love triangle). Dark Slash.
1. Of Teenagers and Animals

_AN: This is my second and hopefully better attempt at this story, I now have better faith in my writing abilities so fingers crossed that this is better! :) I hope you enjoy and would really love to hear from you about the fic, thank you._

Someone Like You, Someone Like Me.

**Prologue: 'Of Teenagers and Animals.'**

Fifteen is an awkward age for any teenager, being a time of raging hormones, anger at everyone and everything and low self esteem. Sirius found that he had rather enjoyed the past year and bit, he had finally come to terms with his personal identity, even if it had involved a rather messy and disturbing discovery. He had realised at the age of fourteen that he wasn't like his other friends, he had realised that he didn't actually fancy girls and he much preferred hard muscles and stubble over breasts and squidgy bits. After that rather shocking revelation he had begun to look at his best friend in a whole new light, for months he had agonised over whether James Potter felt the same and he had continued to put his confessions off until one hot, drunken summer night when a game had somehow led to a kiss. Sirius didn't like to dwell too much on what he deemed (rather ominously) 'THE TIME BEFORE', he didn't dwell on it because it would be a reminder that once he had been living in a very dark place and he hated the dark. Luckily, James had also been harbouring a whole host of confusing feelings towards his rather attractive best mate, and ,after imbibing enough alcohol to kill a small elephant, he had closed the gap between them with a messy, whiskey scented snog. By the beginning of their fifth year James had ceased to chase Lily Evans and had come to terms with the fact that snogging blokes was alright really, so long as there was none of that 'lovey dovey girly rubbish' going on.

Remus had spent summer before fifth year in an odd kind of dream-land, he had been faced with definitive proof that his friends loved him and that he was actually truly accepted. It had been a beautiful, warm summer with Sirius having snuck out of his house and run off to James' for the remainder of the Holidays, all so they could all be there to show him what they had done. Nearly four years worth of hard graft had finally paid off and when Remus rushed over to James' house, nearly choking on terror because he had received a letter saying that Sirius had been nearly fatally injured and found three rather impressive animals instead of the three blood covered boys he had expected. A beautiful Stag with an impressive set of antlers, a nervous, plump little rat and best of all an over exuberant black dog that was approximately the size and weight of a wolf. Remus had been so overwhelmed with joy that he had hardly stopped smiling since, he carried around a glowing talisman now and nothing short of the Apocalypse would shatter his exquisite joy.

And so they spent the first few weeks at school in a state of eager anticipation, Sirius, James and Peter would finally get to meet 'Moony' or the wolf half of their friend. Remus had always liked the nickname, his friends used it for him but he used it to name the Wolf that seemed like a separate entity he shared his skin and soul with. Moony was usually little more than a big ball of terrifying fury and intense emotions, but the first full of September showed a new side to Moony. When it first met the very random assortment of creatures his first instinct was to kill, he was always hungry but some distant part of himself, the part he had come to recognise as 'MAN' told him that these creatures were not, in fact, food at all but _friend_. Moony didn't particularly understand 'friend' but from the random jumble of thoughts and feelings from 'MAN' he came to understand that these animals were 'PACK'. Wolf understood 'PACK' instinctively, and it was as if something had opened inside him. He realised that this 'MAN' creature he was apparently sharing a body with could share feelings and thoughts with him, he slowly realised that it also worked the other way around. He spent that full moon slowly ssifting through all of 'MAN's' feelings, thoughts and memories. He began to recognise the strange sounds MAN made, they were actually words. He began to understand that PACK were in fact 'MEN' too and that took more understanding. The deeper Moony delved into his human memories the more he learned, he learned that the big black creature was not, as he had first assumed, wolf but dog. Dog was a domesticated creature and far below his own raw power and strength, Dog was a silly thing with floppy ears and a tongue that simply refused to stay inside his mouth. He liked Dog, at least he could understand Dog. Dog was like him and could communicate easily with body language, growls, yips and the familiar projection of energies and basic emotions. Dog was simple to understand. Moony quite liked stag after he had got over his initial urge to eat him, Stag was proud and strong and the antlers could be formidable if he got on the wrong side of him. There was only one out of the three that Moony did not like; Rat. Rat was strange and he was usually positively rank with fear, he was an odd creature and far too afraid for his own good, but he wasn't allowed to kill and eat Rat so he tolerated his presence. With the understanding came something very similar to evolution, Moony began to learn 'MAN SPEAK', he began watching the humans through the eyes of the one who he shared his body with and he got to see Dog as Man, and he liked what he saw.

The four Marauder's were brought closer together by their new dynamics as a pack, they sealed this bond by giving each other nicknames. For James they all decided on Prongs due to the fact that according to Sirius his antlers looked kind of like the tines on a fork, they named Peter 'Wormtail' because of his tendency to be a bit wormy and the fact that his tail did look very worm-like. They spent ages searching for an appropriate name for Sirius as he spent his time gambolling around their dorm in the shape of a dog, he seemed to enjoy being able to sniff crotches and sit on people's laps without being shouted at, however eventually his friends had to put a stop to it when he first began to lick his own balls…which they all found a little weird. Finally, when Sirius was sprawled in elegant repose across James' lap wearing little more than his pyjama bottoms, Remus came up with his name; 'Padfoot', because Sirius could walk with only the softest padding noise whether in human or animal form. With their names the bond was sealed, for better or worse they were all brought together with the burdens of their secrets. None of them could know how they were now being watched constantly, none of them knew that behind kind brown eyes lurked a beast with an insatiable hunger.


	2. First Scent

_AN: Hi, this is the first chapter to my new and improved story, I do hope you enjoy. :)_

**Chapter One: First Scent**

"It's tonight isn't it?" Sirius asked softly, he rested one hand upon the stone crenulations. Remus cocked his head to the side slightly and gave his friend a side-long glance.

"Yes…"

"Last time went pretty well don't you think?" Sirius grinned, his eyes sparkling in excitement. "We've got loads of great stuff planned Moony, you'll see." He winked and leapt up onto the parapet, he gazed down at the grounds and took a deep breath of fresh cold air. "Ah, October…" He sighed happily. "You know something, Moony?"

"I know lots of things." Remus replied softly, he was nervous seeing Sirius standing so close to the edge of the tower, if he fell he wasn't sure if he would be able to save him in time.

Sirius laughed, a single bright bark that startled a few roosting birds in the roof, they made a racket as they flew into the wintery blue sky. "It's fucking good to be alive." Sirius turned his bright silver eyes to his friend and smiled revealing his perfect teeth. "Don't you think so?"

Remus cocked his head to the side slightly before smiling in return, he was always so helpless against Sirius when he was in a good mood. His emotions tended to effect those of the whole group. "Yes, I think you're right. It's a good time to be alive." He turned his eyes to the sky, there was hardly a cloud in the sky but the wind was chill, it bit at his bare hands and face but it was a good feeling. "Where's James and Peter?"

"They're preparing some stuff for tonight in the shack; they're hiding some blankets, food, water and stuff for the morning…"

Remus smiled. "James learned from his mistake last month then?"

"Oh yes. Waking up on a hard, freezing cold floor is not very fun…especially since, as a stag, he can't sit on the bed like you and me." Sirius smiled fondly down at the Whomping Willow, his eyes softening with an emotion Remus had seen on many faces before. "There they are!" he pointed and Remus followed his finger to see two figures darting out of the hole beneath the tree, he watched as one of them tripped up. Sirius sniggered and Remus nudged him gently in the side. "Let's go greet them." Sirius said and jumped down from his precarious perch, he grabbed Remus' hand and dragged him into a run.

James entered the castle and glanced around, they hadn't been spotted it seemed, or surely a teacher would be there waiting to greet them with a detention. He and Peter began making their way up the marble stair case when there was a shout, he looked up to see something black and large bolting towards him. Luckily the castle was relatively empty, they had opted out of going to Hogsmeade in order to have a better chance to set up for the coming full. The black thing bowled James right off his feet, he found his arms full of something hairy and very, very friendly. A rough, long, wet tongue was dragged across his face as he tried desperately to fend the massive dog off with both arms. Huge paws pinned him down and he ended up with a mouthful of black hair, the dog knocked his glasses off his nose so they dangled from one ear and breathing was suddenly becoming a bit difficult. "P-Pa-guh…Pad-pfffft…ugh…PADFOOT!" James snapped in a commanding voice, he felt the fury mass shift in his arms it melted only to reform into a much more familiar form. Sirius gazed down at him with a smile, his eyes sparkling with a hectic energy. James grinned back at his secret boyfriend and ran the fingers of one hand through the satiny strands of Sirius' long hair. "I have your drool in my hair." He said and Sirius chuckled. "We weren't gone for that bloody long, what's with the excitement?"

Sirius sat up to allow James to follow suit. "Ah well you see Padfoot missed you, he thought that after being stuck in that terribly dusty place you'd quite like a bath."

"Next time tell him I'll use water."

"Will do, Prongsy old chap." Sirius wrapped his fingers with James', their hands fitting together perfectly. James shot looks around the Entrance Hall and when he saw no one he relaxed. Remus' eyes landed on their clasped hands, he noted the way they were touching at the hips and the way Sirius deferred to James and felt something shift deep inside him. It was a minute feeling, one he could easily ignore but it was something he had never felt before…it felt a little like jealousy.

The dorm was growing dark as the sun set outside, Remus had already gone down to the Hospital Wing to meet Pomfrey. The others only had to wait until Moonrise, Peter lay on his bed and yawned he turned to see Sirius and James wrapped firmly around each other. James had both hands firmly wrapped in Sirius' hair, their legs were intimately entwined and the soft sounds of kissing were interrupted by the softest whispers and occasionally a breathless groan. He wrinkled his nose, he couldn't understand everyone's obsession with Sirius Black, he was alright to look at but everyone talked about him as if he was some kind of sex God. Not that Peter would know, he hadn't had sex with a girl yet, let alone with Sirius…the mere idea made him shudder with revulsion.

"Mm…Sirius…" James groaned softly, nudging his growing erection against Sirius' thigh. "Come on, just once…I can't go greet Moony with raging hard on."

Sirius sighed, silver eyes met hazel and he kissed James lightly. "You'll have to be quick then." He whispered and slid off the bed, James watched him enter the bathroom before hopping up and following. He found Sirius leaning against a stall door and gazing at him through his heavy fringe, he had a half-smirk on his lips and James grabbed him.

Sirius was slammed against the door and James pushed him roughly to his knees. "Hurry." He gasped as Sirius scrabbled with James' stubborn fly. As wet heat surrounded his aching cock he looked down, Sirius was on his knees with his eyes open looking upward. "Merlin…" James whispered as he slid a hand into Sirius' hair and pushed his erection as far as Sirius' throat would allow. "You're fucking…fucking gorgeous…" he gasped. Sirius smiled around his mouthful and began sucking.

~XXX~

When Dog finally came bounding into the small, oppressive room Moony knew something was odd. He growled low in his throat, lowering his massive head and glaring furiously at Dog, who had the grace to lower his own head and whine. Moony crept forward, pinning Dog still with a sharp gaze as he circled his pack-mate, he reached his backend and sniffed curiously. Dog tried to turn and sniff at Moony who snapped at him, telling him in no uncertain terms to back off. Dog crouched low to the floor, his ears pressing flat against his head as he waited for permission to move, he lifted his tail from his backside hesitantly and allowed the sniffing. Moony could smell something odd about Dog, he couldn't quite figure it out until he moved and began sniffing at his mouth. His big triangular ears twitched and he stared at his pack-mate for a moment. What he smelt was another male, a male who had obviously had some form of sexual contact with Dog. The scent clung to his fur like a second skin, he could smell it all around his mouth and it made his hackles stand on end. A low growl emanated from Moony, he watched Dog's ears perk up before slowly his lip peeled back from his teeth in a snarl. The two canine's began to slouch across the floor in a wide circle, their eyes never left each other; silver and amber. Claws clicked against the wooden floor of the shack; tick, tick, tick.

Padfoot knew that Moony was larger and stronger than him, but he had the advantage of speed. He was fast and he could probably use it to his advantage. He wasn't entirely sure why Moony was acting so strangely, he didn't understand what he could have done to anger the wolf but he supposed it wasn't very hard to anger such a wild and dangerous beast. He lowered his head and waited for the wolf to make its move.

Wormtail watched the two Canine's dance for a moment and suddenly, on some unspoken signal Moony leapt at Padfoot. Wormtail froze as the two beasts met in a furious clash of teeth, claws and vicious snarls. Wormtail unfroze his limbs and slid easily down a small hole, he ran beneath the floor boards trying to escape the terror of the fight above him. He dived down to the bottom floor and into the passage way where he ran for all he was worth out into the night.

James fidgeted for a moment, his eyes flicked to the full moon hanging just above the line of trees. He heard a rustle from beneath the willow and grinned, he prepared himself to transform but suddenly saw that only a tiny rat emerged. He moved forward but froze when a terrifying yelp and howl rent the air, it shattered the peaceful night like a gong and James felt himself break out into a cold sweat. "Peter!" he called and the rat transformed mid-stride, Peter stumbled and came to gasping halt before James. "Peter, what the hell is happening?!" He grabbed his friend's shoulders and shook him slightly.

"M-Moony…" Peter gasped, trying to regain his breath. "…P-Padfoot…F-Fighting…"

"Fuck!" James released Peter and ran straight towards the tree without a thought to his own safety, he dived beneath the branches and slid down the hole and into the passageway. He was on his feet again in a second, he broke into a run as roots grabbed at his clothes and hair. He had his wand in one hand but he had no idea what he would do when he got there, the shack was an uncomfortable place for Prongs, he hated transforming there but had no other choice. As he drew closer to the fight he could hear it, it sounded terrifying. Yelps and growls were broken by the sounds of furniture shattering, something heavy landed on a wooden floor and James urged his feet faster.

Padfoot could taste blood, he could feel the wounds he had sustained but he had yet to succumb to the wolf. He circled the creature once again, growling as ferociously as he could. The wolf was very strong, stronger than any real wolf he was sure. The creature's eyes were full of an almost human intelligence, there was a fire there that bespoke of complete command. Padfoot, eyed him warily as they circled before he lunged with a loud snarl. He snapped viciously at the wolf's legs, yanking out clumps of fur as he went. Moony bit at his tail in retaliation, causing Padfoot to swing around and rake his front paw down Moony's muzzle, he left behind a long scratch. Something hit him in the side and he yelped as he went sprawling across the floor, immediately Moony was on him and trying to go for his throat. Padfoot struggled violently, he wiggled, scratched and bit at whatever part of the wolf he could, the beast was massive and he was beginning to weaken.

James gazed in stunned fascination at the fight, Padfoot appeared to have been holding his own until now. Moony had him scrabbling desperately on his back, and Padfoot looked as if he was going to have his throat ripped out…James had to do something. He did the first thing that popped into his head. He moved the box out of the way and stood up. "OI!" He shouted.

Moony heard the Man-speech, he swung his head around, keeping one paw firmly on his victim. His amber eyes flashed and narrowed when he spotted the human. He lifted his nose and scented the air curiously, he growled as he recognised the scent. It was the same that covered Dog. He released Padfoot, he would deal with him later, and slowly began to stalk towards his new prey. Each paw hit the ground precisely, he lowered his great head and smelt the air, he could smell the tang of fear but Man was not backing down as he should have. He stood there with one arm raised and his hazel eyes staring into Moony's, now there was guts. This Man was _challenging_ Moony…he had never expected this from Man so he had to tread carefully, he wasn't entirely sure what would happen. Then he heard something that caught his attention.

"Remus…!"

Moony swung his head around and found himself staring at Dog…but Dog was not Dog, he was Man. Moony found this sudden change very odd, he turned back to face the other Man but he was called again. He turned to face Dog-that-was-now-man and decided to see how this one smelt, he walked forward slowly, his head low and as he drew closer he saw Dog-that-was-now-man avert his eyes. Perfect.

James gaped in shock as Sirius sat, leaning against the wall wearing torn robes. He panted heavily and cradled a bleeding wrist to his chest, having been bitten in Dog form he would avoid contracting Lycanthropy but if he was going to continue to be fine he would be better off running for his life. "Sirius…Sirius…come here! Quickly!"

Sirius shot him a glance but lowered his eyes again as the Wolf stalked closer, he felt hot breath on his face and his eyes widened in fear. His heart hammered in his chest as a cold nose began nuzzling at his hair, he refused to look up. He couldn't even bring his head to move now that the wolf was so close. "J-Jamie…" He breathed. "Jamie…get out."

"I can't leave you!" James replied.

"Go! I can…I can handle it myself…"

James opened his mouth but his eyes widened in shock as Moony ran his tongue up the side of Sirius' battered, dusty face. Sirius winced and grimaced. "I'm going to be ok, I'll be able to change back in a moment."

"I'm not leaving." James breathed and watched as Sirius changed his form again. Padfoot crouched low, avoiding eye contact with the wolf as he tucked his tail right between his legs. Moony was apparently satisfied with this show of submission, he let out a small huff and a low rumble before deciding enough was enough for this evening and turning towards the exit of the Shack. He gazed over his shoulder and cocked his head to one side, silently inviting Padfoot to follow.

James ran down the passageway as he heard the two canine's scrabbling their way towards him, he sighed in relief when he was certain Sirius wasn't about to become Dog-food. When he reached open air he transformed and turned towards the entrance to the tunnel, Wormtail crawled out from a hole and skittered his way towards the stag. He ran up his friend's leg, claws digging into fur and scrabbled his awkward way up to sit between the stag's antlers. They watched as the two canines exited the passageway, Prongs not failing to notice how the dynamics had changed. Padfoot was less exuberant; his puppy-like excitability was noticeably absent. He didn't dwell on it as Moony flicked his tail and began making his way silently into the shadows of the trees, they had to keep him as far away from the school as possible or all their carefully laid plans would go horrifically wrong…Yet, as the night wore on James felt that something was odd. Moony was walking close to Padfoot, their behinds brushing often. Occasionally the wolf would turn and snap at Padfoot who would immediately slink away with his head low and tail between his legs, it was with a great sense of relief when the moon began to set and they all made their slow way back to the Shack.


	3. Jealous

_AN: This chapter contains scenes of extremely MILD Bestiality, literally I have skimmed over it and it's only obvious what's happening because it's mentioned. I promise you, there is NO graphic bestiality in this story. :) I hope you enjoy and any review would, as always, be much appreciated._

**Chapter Two: Jealous**

The sunlight woke Sirius, he groaned and rolled over. He was lying on a bed beside another person, automatically he snuggled into the warm body at his side and felt an arm slide around his middle. He smiled and took a deep breath before his eyes flew open, he stiffened as he realised that the scent assaulting his nose did not belong to his boyfriend. Slowly he turned his head to find himself staring at Remus, he saw a long bloody scratch crossing his nose and sighed heavily. It was a good job that any injury he did to Remus would easily be healed by Magic, after all an Animagus caused wound wasn't cursed. Slowly he sat up and yawned, searching for his other friends, he found Peter lying curled beneath a pile of blankets, at his side was James. Sirius grinned happily to himself and slid off the bed and away from Remus' warmth, the movement elicited a soft, commanding growl from his werewolf friend that made the small hairs on the back of Sirius' neck stand on end, he froze with wide eyes as he fought with his instincts. Finally he pushed Remus' arm off of him and slid off the bed, he favoured his injured ankle and limped to James' side, with one last guilty look over his shoulder at Remus he slid beneath James' arm and closed his eyes. "Mmm…Missed sleeping beside you." James breathed, hot air caressed Sirius' skin and made a pleasant shiver run up his spine.

"'Mornin' Prongs." Sirius replied and rolled over so he was facing his lover, they smiled sleepily at each other.

"Padfoot fell asleep beside Moony again last night." James said softly, brushing strands of hair from Sirius' eyes.

Sirius shrugged. "I'm having difficulty getting the hang of Padfoot's emotions, it's like…sometimes they bleed into my own…if you know what I mean?" He glanced into his boyfriends eyes briefly.

James frowned slightly, continuing his gentle movement as he stroked Sirius' tangled hair. "I can't say that I do…What happened last night? You and Moony were fighting…"

"No idea. The wolf decided to attack me, he sniffed me at first then turned…it was like someone had flicked a muggle light switch." Sirius grimaced. "Got bit on the ankle and wrist but nothing too serious, we can heal it ourselves and keep it off of Pomfrey's radar."

"Good. I'm…I'm glad you're ok." James smiled awkwardly and Sirius kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Trust me, so am I." Sirius replied and let James pull him closer.

~XXX~

"My, you _are_ looking quite a mess this morning Mr. Lupin." Pomfrey said as she entered the shack, she gazed down at the battered boy lying on the double bed and sighed softly. "Come now, wrap this about your shoulders and we'll get you back up to the castle, I'll get you fixed up and you can have a nice healing sleep."

Remus nodded, barely trusting his voice as he struggled into a sitting position. He could feel the familiar ache that reached deep into his very soul, there were the usual aches and pains of his more physical injuries too but what really hurt was the incurable pain that clenched at his very heart as his body got used to being human again. When he was up and firmly wrapped in a blanket he followed Pomfrey towards the exit, a scent caught his attention and his eyes flashed amber, he turned and gazed at a spot on the floor…it looked like blood. His heart beat increased as fear coiled up inside his stomach and began clawing at his skin, could he have inadvertently hurt one of his friends? Had he done serious damage? He swallowed and when Pomfrey called him he turned back to the passage way and followed.

~XXX~

_It was hot. Sweat dripped across his skin and he felt something heavy against his back, it pressed down on him, fur tickled his burning flesh and he gasped. A rough tongue swept across his shoulder blades and a low, deep growl sent shivers coursing through his veins. He whimpered and stared at the bare wooden wall, fear and pain assaulted his senses as long claws dug deep into his sides, his fingers gouged lines into the dusty floor and he lowered his head. He squeezed his eyes shut so tightly that colour blossomed across his vision, like flowers in the spring time. He felt his own blood dribbling slowly over the skin of his back, it mingled with the sweat and he cried out in agony, a growl was his only response. It hurt. It was pain beyond imagining but some deep, probably unhinged, part of him was elated. The furry body draped across his back shifted and more agony stabbed at him, he flinched but was unable to escape, some deep instinct told him that this was right, that it was perfectly normal…that he must submit and give himself totally to this creature. He shook his head in desperate denial but the part of him that was now animal had control of his body, his body was moving without his permission and when he felt hot breath on the back of his neck he shuddered, trying to deny the perverse feelings of pleasure washing over him. "Please…please don't…" He whispered but the creature ignored him, a rough tongue was dragged slowly over his shoulder before he felt the first sting of darkly cursed teeth against his flesh, Sirius screamed…_

…He sat upright, thoroughly tangled in his sticky sheets. His chest heaved as he fought to regain control over his raging emotions; he reached beneath the covers tentatively and groaned when he felt his erection standing at full attention. "S-Shit…" He hissed into the darkness of his bed. It wasn't right…it wasn't normal…these kinds of dreams were probably the pre-cursor to the famed Black Madness that held his cousins in thrall. He shivered as he pushed his duvet down to his waist and fell back against his pillows; slowly he calmed his racing heart with deep breathing. He knew that he was into all kinds of kinky stuff, most of which he ensured he had explored with James, others he kept solely for his private wank bank material, but he was certain that Bestiality wasn't one of his kinks. It was wrong. It was disgusting and repulsive and _vile_…yet he had woken up with a rather impressive erection none the less. His mouth twisted in an angry grimace, he was going to put it out of his mind once and for all. He was in love with James, and, even if he never said it, he was certain James loved him in return. There had been so much blood…so much pain and so much pleasure…He shuddered and violently shook his head. No. He had to stop thinking about it, it was dream. That was all. A horrible, confusing nightmare. He would get over it.

~XXX~

Remus woke to the feel of sweaty sheets, they were wrapped tightly around his own body and for some, inexplicable reason he had a pillow pressed firmly against his groin. He frowned in confusion as a few fuzzy, almost incoherent images returned to him; he remembered someone writhing beneath him in ecstasy, their hot body covered in sweat. He remembered tasting blood on his tongue, feeling teeth pierce flesh, the feeling of power and affection and desire…he shuddered and pulled the pillow from between his legs, it was sticky with what could only have been semen. Remus felt embarrassment colour his cheeks and he reached over to his bedside table and grabbed his wand, quickly he cleaned off the mess and straightened out the covers before settling back down and closing his eyes. In all his years he had never known such dreams, he had never even read about them and no one he knew had mentioned such a thing. He frowned and tried to remember who he had been mating with; all he could see was a head full of pitch black hair and pale, almost edible skin.

~XXX~

Remus was discharged from the Hospital Wing with a clean bill of health the next day, he still felt tired and itchy however and sometimes suffered from odd spells similar to Déjà vu. As he climbed the Marble Staircase he spotted two figures half hidden behind a statue, as he drew nearer he heard whispers and the odd giggle. He instantly knew who it was and as he reached them he tried to smile, but his face didn't respond. James had Sirius pinned against the wall, they were kissing passionately, Remus could see one of James' hands pressing into the front of Sirius' trousers, the pheromones assaulted his senses and he felt something stirring within him. It was like a great beast scenting the air and before he could prevent it a low growl escaped him, his eyes widened as James pulled away from his boyfriend and turned to him. The messy haired boy grinned. "Alright Remus, sorry about this, we got bored waiting for you and the corridor was empty…" He glanced back at Sirius, his hand still massaging his crotch, James' smirk was evil. "I'm trying to make him cum before anyone appears." He muttered and giggled again.

"Ah fuck Jamie…" Sirius gasped, grabbing James' hand in his own. "Stop…Moony's…ah…Moony's here now…Nnn…fuck!" Remus felt his hackles rise, he stared at Sirius' face with wide eyes as jealousy and rage flowed through his body. He felt disconnected, as if he were merely feeling someone else's emotions. He watched as Sirius pulled free of James' intrepid fingers and slumped against the wall, he glared at James with a pink flush on his cheeks. "Moony's here, idiot." He said irritably.

James grinned and pulled Sirius close again, he wrapped his arms around him. "We'll continue this later then, Pads."

Remus watched as Sirius smiled into James' eyes, the rage overcame him and before he could stop himself his arm rose. He grabbed James' robes in a fist and yanked him away from Sirius, in the same movement he swung him around and pushed him in the chest. His face was blank as he did it, James' eyes had time to widen, his mouth opened and he let slip a soft gasp before he stumbled backwards down the marble staircase. James' feet slipped from under him, his arms flailed and, as if in slow motion, he toppled backwards. Sirius let out a wordless exclamation and dived forward, Remus grabbed him by the throat and threw him against the wall. Sirius gasped as the air was knocked from his lungs, Remus was strong, a lot stronger than he should have been. Slowly he raised his head, one arm wrapped around his ribs as he tried to take a breath. Remus gazed at him through eyes the colour of yellow topaz. Sirius swallowed and tasted blood from having bitten his tongue, his eyes widened as Remus' lip peeled back from his teeth and he growled in warning. "James!" Sirius shouted, he tore his gaze away from his friend and dived beneath his guard, Remus' fingers scraped his collar but missed his grip as Sirius ran down the stairs after his lover. "Jamie! Prongs! Answer me!" He reached the bottom of the stairs and fell to his knees at James' side, he wasn't moving and as Sirius turned him over he saw a large egg-like lump on his forehead. His glasses had come off and lay shattered three steps up, Sirius lifted his eyes and stared at Remus in horror as he stood at the top and watched the scene with his head cocked to one side. "You bastard…" Sirius breathed, the air leaving him harshly.

~XXX~

"He will be fine, he's suffering from concussion but I can fix that in a trice." Pomfrey said as she gazed at the two boys. "You may visit but for five minutes, he needs rest and I must keep him in to ensure he doesn't do anything too strenuous."

Sirius released his penned in breath, he slumped against the wall in relief. Remus stood a few feet away from him, he was chewing nervously on his bottom lip. Sirius hadn't spoken to him since he had pushed James, even as Remus had come to his senses and ran to get help. After a moment Sirius straightened, Pomfrey left them alone and Remus lowered his head. "I'm sorry." He whispered, twisting the sleeves of his robes in his fists nervously. He could feel those burning silver eyes on him but couldn't bring himself to meet them. "Really, Padfoot, I'm so sorry."

Sirius sighed softly, he took a few steps closer to his friend and put a finger beneath his chin, Remus reluctantly lifted his head and their eyes met. "It wasn't you…was it?" He muttered, a small frown creasing his brows.

"I…I don't know…" Remus replied, his face twisting in anguish. "I honestly can't understand what happened, one minute I was fine and the next I wanted t-to…I…" Brown eyes searched Sirius' face intently before he spoke again, his voice less than a whisper. "I wanted to kill James."

Sirius' eyes widened briefly, his lips parted in shock before he released Remus and took a step backwards. "No…It definitely wasn't you." Sirius replied. "That…that _thing_ I saw behind your eyes was…well…it was the Wolf."

Remus shivered and wrapped his arms around his chest, he lowered his head and fell backwards into the wall. "I'm…losing control…" He gasped. He shook even as he felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around him. It was like a comforting blanket, he melted into the embrace and closed his eyes, he took a deep breath and pulled Sirius' scent into his lungs. Something inside him rumbled in contentment and he smiled, slowly he slid his hands up Sirius' back.

"It's alright, Moons." Sirius muttered softly. "James'll understand. We're the Marauder's, there's certain concessions one must make when being best friends with a…a person with a problem such as yours."

Slowly Remus lifted his head and gazed into those familiar silver eyes, he felt something begin to change in his chest. It was like someone had released butterflies behind his ribs and they were desperate to escape, he knew somehow that this was different to his earlier rage and jealousy, this emotion did not belong to anything else. It was all him. He swallowed a lump in his throat and before he realised what he was doing he had tipped his head to one side, his lips touched Sirius' and he felt a strange swooping sensation in his gut. Sirius stiffened and gripped Remus' wrists in both his hands, he squeezed them once and gently pulled them away from his hips. He pressed his forehead against Remus' and sighed. "You're my best friend, Remus." He breathed, his eyes closed. "We're…mates." With a brief, firm kiss on the temple Sirius stepped away and turned to the Hospital Wing door. Remus watched his go feeling slightly empty, he could feel the places Sirius had kissed him tingling slightly and he touched his lips with one hand.

"What on earth are you doing Remus Lupin?" He whispered to himself and gave his head a firm shake, determinedly ignoring the satisfied growl of the wolf within.

~XXX~

Sirius stared down at James, he was unconscious and had bandages surrounding his head. Messy hair stuck through them randomly, his shattered glasses lay on his bedside table and Sirius lifted his wand and muttered _Reparo_, they fixed themselves and looked brand new. He smiled and sat down in a nearby chair, gently he took James' hand in his own and sighed. "I'm sorry, Prongs." He said absently as he traced random patterns across the back of James' hand with one finger. "I should have been quicker…I was just so surprised. It wasn't Remus who pushed you…you know that right?" Sirius looked into James' peaceful face and sighed, gently he tucked a strand of hair beneath the bandages crossing his forehead. "I'm…kind of worried about him…Remus, I mean. He's…different. James, he tried to…to kiss me in the corridor a moment ago." Sirius sighed, hot breath causing his fringe to flutter. "But…I suppose you've noticed it too, huh?" He gazed across the empty ward for a while, his fingers gently massaging James' palm. He frowned. "I…I really don't like the way he's been looking at me lately…I know, it sounds weird. I mean, this is Moony we're on about here…our little Moonikins. But…but it's not. Sometimes, when he's looking at me…it's like…like there's something else watching me behind his eyes. That sounds mental, right? Maybe the Black Madness has more credibility than I gave it credit for." Sirius lifted his hand and touched his lips, remembering the kiss Remus had placed there. "I'm scared." His voice left him in a tiny whisper, and he felt his stomach twist as he realised he had spoken aloud. He scanned the Wing and realised he was alone before relaxing, he would have to be more careful in future. Black's did not get scared. Black's did not cry. Black's never, ever showed weakness before others. His shoulder's straightened unconsciously and his face was covered by a mask, something he was taught to use from the moment he was old enough to hide his feelings. Because Black's did not have feelings, Black's were always strong…even when they lay in bed alone at night, even when they were being punished. No tears. No love. No emotion. _No weakness_!


	4. Cursed

_AN: Hullo, I'm back. :D I hope this chapter is to your liking, I am trying to build up the tension between the three, also Sirius is going through some awkward changes…Enjoy and any feedback is always appreciated. Thank you to the reviews I have so far._

**Chapter Three: Cursed**

November brought wind and rain to Hogwarts, it was Sirius' sixteenth birthday and the Marauder's celebrated with a party. Gryffindor common room was filled with food, smuggled alcohol and music from the Wizarding Wireless. People chatted loudly in the comfy sofa's, many of them were paired off and kissing each other passionately. Sirius drank his way through three bottles of Old Ogden's, he ended up sprawled on the floor before the fire and moaning as the world span. The next day he awoke with a hangover, his head pounded and he was sick several times. James shook his head and laughed while Remus held his hair back as he leaned over the toilet and heaved. "Get…get me my wand…I-I'm gunn-ugh…gunna murder James…" Sirius gasped during a brief break from puking.

"No, he's only teasing because this was self-inflicted." Remus replied calmly, he had become very good at suppressing his own emotions, even though he still couldn't be near James and Sirius when they were kissing. "Personally I would have preferred to let you get on with it but if I wasn't here you would have vomit in your hair."

Sirius chuckled weakly as he sank to the floor. "You're too bloody wonderful, Moony." He sighed and his eyes closed. "Gotta love ya."

Remus was glad Sirius couldn't see him go red. He cleared his throat with a frown. "Be that as it may, you're still too sick to go to any lessons today. We'll have to neglect to tell McGonagall that you've been drinking."

Sirius opened an eye and smiled. "See? Wonderful." He croaked. "I don't deserve you…"

Remus flushed, he felt the wolf rumble in satisfaction as he turned his back on his friend. The feelings coursing through him were wrong, he had always liked girls. He had never felt any desire for men. He had no idea what was happening to him.

Over the next few weeks Sirius found himself feeling uncomfortable around Remus, he could sense something dark and dangerous behind his friend's eyes. Sometimes, when he was in lessons or, more rarely, the library, he would feel a gaze burning into his skin. When he looked up he found himself staring at Remus, but it wasn't Remus. His eyes would glow softly amber and it sent chills down Sirius' spine that had nothing to do with the drafty castle. During the evenings, when he would try to get close to James by the fire in the common room, they would be interrupted by Remus who seemed unaware of why he was sitting between them. James found the behaviour odd but said nothing, he didn't want to make Remus feel uncomfortable.

One windy day Remus waited outside Transfiguration with James and Peter, Sirius was grabbing a book he had left behind in the common room. When Sirius returned holding the book in one hand and slightly out of breath he was intercepted by a pretty Hufflepuff girl. Immediately both James and Remus turned to watch the exchange.

"Hello." The girl said with a smile, her curly hair bobbing around her face.

"McKinnon, isn't it?" Sirius replied with a polite smile.

"Yes, Marlene." She flushed, pleased that Sirius Black had known her name. "Um…I was just wandering what you're doing this Hogsmeade weekend…It's just that…well…I-I…I was wandering if you would like to go-"

"James!" Sirius spotted his boyfriend and his smile changed, it became wide and revealed his canine teeth, James returned it, sniggering slightly into his hand. "…Sorry…What were you saying?" He forced his eyes away from his friend and back to the girl.

Marlene glanced back over her shoulder, the corridor had gone oddly silent as the students from both houses watched intently. No one usually had the courage to ask out Sirius Black, he was so aloof that most girls only got as far as saying his name before blushing and scurrying away. Remus watched along with everyone else, he felt the wolf raging inside him and swallowed. He had to prevent himself from doing something stupid, he didn't want anyone else getting hurt, not after what he had done to James. The girl frowned but re-gathered her train of thought, with a bravery that should have had her in Gryffindor she soldiered on. "I was wandering if you would like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend." She said, her voice wavering only slightly and that was because Sirius had run his fingers through his hair.

Sirius rarely got offers like this, he tried to put people off by being too casual or sometimes plain rude but he was surrounded by people and had no wish to end up in detention for making the poor girl cry. His eyes met James' over the heads of a few other Hufflepuffs who gazed at their housemate in awe, Sirius smirked slightly. "Yeah, alright then. Might as well." He said.

Marlene's mouth opened and closed a few times before she shook herself visibly. "Oh! Oh that's brilliant!" She smiled broadly, looking a little smug. "Then I'll meet you in the entrance hall tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a plan." Sirius said and moved away, he turned and winked at her over his shoulder just to watch her blush.

James watched Sirius walk towards him smirking devilishly; he could see a crowd of Hufflepuff girls converging on Marlene to discuss what had just happened. Sirius never accepted offers of dates, he never had done…until now. James frowned and grabbed Sirius by the wrist, with a sharp yank he pulled him close. "What was that?" He hissed.

Sirius cocked his head to the side, eyes glittering. "That, Prongs, was a girl asking me out on a date and me accepting said offer."

James pulled an irritated face, but they all knew he would be unable to make a scene in front of the whole class so he released Sirius' sleeve and shot him a sullen glare before marching into the room with Peter. Remus caught Sirius' satisfied smile and understood why he had done it, James was not one to flaunt his feelings, especially since those feelings were directed towards a boy. Sirius felt the need to ensure James really did feel for him by making him jealous, and it usually worked like a charm. Remus felt the wolf within stirring angrily, he hoped he would be able to hold off any untoward behaviour this time.

The day dawned with bright blue skies and cold winds, Sirius stood in the entrance hall and looked around for his date, he saw her standing by the entrance to the kitchens. She caught his eye and smiled brightly, together they left under the watchful eyes of James, Peter and Remus. "I can't believe that bastard is actually doing it." James muttered irritably, he pushed a hand through his messy hair and Remus gave him a sidelong glance. "He's cheating on me!"

Peter shrugged. "Well, you keep telling people you're straight…what did you expect him to do?"

James glared at him until he went pink and looked at his shoes. "Sirius likes me…" He said, almost as if to reassure himself, Remus could see the doubt on his face as Marlene moved up to Sirius' side as they lined up to leave the castle.

Later Sirius returned, he smiled at his friends as he slumped into one of the comfy chairs by the fire. "So, did you guys have fun?" He asked with a knowing smirk.

Remus glared down at his homework, he was supposed to be writing about the best way to concoct Polyjuice Potion. His quill dripped ink onto the parchment as it hovered above it, he listened to the tense silence. Suddenly James stood up, all eyes were drawn to him as he clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "Oh yes, we had a great time, Black." He said angrily. "While you were busy flirting with that Hufflepuff bimbo we were in the library."

Sirius lifted a dark brow, he liked it when James got angry. "How wonderful." He said sarcastically. "You know, you could have come with us."

Remus lifted his head slowly, Sirius was still sitting with James looming over him. The air crackled with James' anger, it felt heavy and stifling and Remus felt the wolf wake inside him. He gasped as a tidal wave of raw passion overwhelmed him, with a groan he curled in on himself. His quill fell from numb fingers.

"Come with you?!" James snapped. "Why would I want to spoil such an intimate date?!"

Sirius sighed softly, tearing his eyes away from James'. "It wasn't a date, Jamie." He said softly. "You know that." His eyes scanned the half-empty room, they took a second to land upon Remus' curled up form. He gasped and leapt off his chair before falling to his knees beside Remus. "Hey, Moony…!" He said and put a hand on his friend's shoulder, James' eyes widened in shock and he dived to the floor. "Remus, come on…let's get you to the hospital wing." Sirius muttered, he managed to get his arm around Remus' shoulders and with James' help he hefted him to his feet. Remus groaned but it turned into a low growl, Sirius felt a shiver run down his spine but ignored it. "I'll take him." He said firmly and began to help him across the litter strewn floor towards the portrait hole.

They stumbled clumsily down the corridor, Sirius trying to keep Remus upright. Remus was filled with agony, it was painful to even think about Sirius and now they were so close he could smell him. His scent invaded all of Remus' senses and made him reel, he stumbled but Sirius held him upright, he was talking in a low voice, soft, comforting words that were all gibberish to Remus' ears. He stumbled again, this time his weight pushing Sirius into the wall, he managed to lift his head and found himself looking into Sirius' eyes. "…S-Sirius…" Remus rasped, his voice rough and his eyes burning amber. "…Sirius…" He growled again, his hand going to Sirius' face, he ran a long nail down Sirius' neck and watched his Adams apple bob as he swallowed. Remus tipped his head to the side, his tongue darting out to lick his lips, he watched Sirius imitate the movement. As Remus drew closer, he managed to regain a little control. "…Run…" He breathed, panic flickering in his face. "…Merlin…please…run…"

Sirius frowned in determination. "No. I'm not leaving you." He said firmly, with a swift movement he put his arm around Remus again and hoisted him up. "You're going to see Pomfrey, this isn't right."

Remus shut his eyes, he fought with every ounce of his being as the wolf began to tear at his consciousness in an attempt to get at Sirius. He didn't quite understand what was happening or why he was in so much pain but he couldn't hurt his friend, if he did he would never be able to live with the guilt. He groaned again, his knees trying to give way beneath him but Sirius held him up and drew him to his side. He tried to concentrate on the soft, comforting drone of Sirius' voice but then something inside him felt as if it was tearing. He would have screamed but instead he fell to his knees, Sirius lost his grip on him and gasped in horror as Remus vomited blood onto the floor. The world around him swayed violently, his body was burning, his eyesight wavering and he could hardly breathe. Arms grabbed him, he was hoisted up and dragged down a set of stairs. He managed to look at Sirius' profile, the small frown of worry on his face, the way he was chewing his bottom lip in terror…Remus smiled, grateful that someone cared about him, before he slumped and fell into darkness.

~XXX~

When Sirius was kicked out of the Hospital Wing with a promise that he could visit the next day he went straight back up to the common room. He found James and Peter waiting for him in the dorm, when he saw James he threw himself into his arms. "He threw up blood." He gasped into James' ear. "I-I don't even know why…Pomfrey was terrified…I-I…fuck! What if it was my fault?!"

James pulled away, one hand stroking Sirius' hair. "How can it be your fault, Siri?" He said and smiled as best he could. "Pomfrey knows what she's doing, she's fixed him up plenty of times before."

Sirius sighed and closed his eyes tightly, once again he buried his face in James' throat. "Yeah…I'm being stupid." He whispered but deep down he knew it had been his fault, somehow he had caused Remus pain by going on a date with Marlene and he resolved never to do it again.

Later Sirius lay in his own bed, he stared up at the ceiling and was plagued by the horrific image of blood pouring from Remus' mouth. He shuddered and pushed hands into his hair. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly. It was his fault, he knew it was. Somehow he had hurt Remus inadvertently and he hated himself for it. Slowly he opened his eyes and slid out of bed, with silent feet he moved to James' and slid back the curtains, James was still awake as if expecting him. He smiled and pushed the duvet down so Sirius climbed in beside him. "Will he forgive me?" He breathed as he pressed his face into James' throat, inhaling the familiar scent.

"There's nothing to forgive, you didn't do anything."

"I did. But…Jamie?" He looked up and saw the pale outline of James' face. "Do you love me?" his voice dropped to a whisper, he had never needed to hear it before but something in him was terror stricken. He was going to lose James and he desperately needed reassurance. "Well?" he asked nervously after a few minutes silence, James sighed softly and rolled onto his side so they were looking at each other.

"You're being stupid, Sirius. Go to sleep." James kissed him, their lips meeting and parting, tongues tangled slowly and they spent some time exploring each other's mouths. Sirius pushed his fingers into James' hair and felt a familiar hand slide up his back until he was pressed flush against his lover. "Is this not enough for you?" James asked softly.

Sirius nodded. It had to be enough, James was in denial about his sexuality, he seemed to think that if they never mentioned love or emotions it would mean that he didn't like blokes really. If he ignored the growing feelings he was having towards his best male friend, he could still go back to being 'normal'. Sirius closed his eyes and tried to relax into James' embrace but it was impossible.

~XXX~

Remus lay in the hospital bed, he stared at the glass of water on the bedside table as he listened to the soft whispers of the teachers.

"I have never witnessed anything like it before, Headmaster." Pomfrey was saying, her voice almost shrill with panic.

"What happened?" Dumbledore replied.

"Well, he was brought to me by Mr. Black. He had been vomiting blood…after the usual diagnostics I discovered that the wolf was actually attempting to transform! The full moon isn't for weeks!"

There was a pregnant pause as Dumbledore deliberated. "I see."

"His organs were shifting even as he was put in bed, I swear to you Albus I have never seen the likes. There has only been one case of a pre-moon attempt at transformation and that was many, many years ago…"

"There are some werewolves who have taken to accepting and becoming one with their animalistic natures. Could this be what is happening?"

"No, I believe this case is different…I checked my charts and…and found that the next full moon will be blue." The nurses voice dropped to a whisper and Remus had to strain his ears to pick it up.

"A blue moon?" Dumbledore's voice was sharp, almost accusatory.

"Yes, Headmaster. I have every reason to believe that the Wolf inside Mr. Lupin has finally chosen."

"This is grave news, Poppy."

"He…he should be safe though, surely? We keep him hidden away well enough within the shack."

"Let us hope, Poppy, let us hope."

Remus closed his eyes with a frown as the voices faded away, what had all that been about? What was the significance of a blue moon? He had done much research on Werewolves and in none of the books he had read did it mention anything about a blue moon. With disturbing thoughts running through his head he fell into a disturbed, nightmare filled sleep.

~XXX~

Their lips moved against each other, Sirius felt fingers in his hair as James tugged gently. He moaned and pressed his body closer, he smiled and parted his lips and invited James' tongue into his mouth. "Fuck, Siri." James whispered. "Mm, we should stop…" He spoke with very little conviction as he slid a hand around Sirius' waist and pulled his hips against his own. "Fuck, you're making me so hard."

"Jamie…?" Sirius breathed as they pulled apart, he smirked as he lifted a hand and tugged playfully on James' tie. "You wanna do something reckless?"

James smiled. "Every day." He muttered. They were inside a very small, very full broom cupboard. The door was shut so only a thin finger of light could get in beneath the door, James began kissing at Sirius' throat, his hand sliding to the front of his trousers and gripping it gently. Sirius moaned and let his eyes fall closed, he smiled and let pleasure wash over him. As James opened his fly and pushed his hand inside the tight cloth of his trousers, Sirius saw something flash behind his closed eyes. He saw a brief image of burning amber eyes, an involuntary moan escaped his lips and he arched his back.

"Oh fuck." He gasped as James began moving his hand up and down his cock, he bucked his hips as once again felt a burning sensation in his shoulder, just as if huge teeth were piercing his skin. He felt white-hot heat twisting in his gut and clung to James for all he was worth. His body trembled and he realised he was very close to cumming, abruptly he pulled away from James and shoved his hand roughly down his trousers. Together they stroked each other, swallowing their gasping moans as they kissed desperately. A small frown creased Sirius' forehead as he continued to see those burning eyes, with it came the sensation of being torn to shreds by lust. His breathe was ripped from his burning lungs and he felt James shivering, he pushed his lover in the chest so he was slammed into the opposite wall and attacked his throat, nipping and biting roughly as he continued running his hand over the hot flesh of James' erection. James cried out, his voice filling the tiny space and Sirius felt liquid splash his fingers. As his teeth sank into James' shoulder his own orgasm rocketed through his body. Afterwards both boys sank to the littered floor panting heavily, James reached up and put his hand to his shoulder with a wince.

"Shit, Sirius you bit me."

Sirius licked his lips and realised he tasted blood, a shudder tore through him and he flushed in the darkness. "I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me."

James chuckled roughly. "I do."

Sirius managed a burst of breathless laughter and he pushed his head into James' neck, gently he ran his tongue over the wound. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt you."

"No worries, I didn't realise you liked it rough."

Sirius chuckled. "Neither did I."

~XXX~

Remus was released by a very reluctant Madam Pomfrey two days later, after she had ensured that the internal bleeding has ceased. He felt mildly better but he could still feel the wolf pressing at the back of his mind, almost as if it was waiting for something. He was greeted by James, Sirius and Peter and lots of smiles. He tried to return their happiness but there was a cloud hanging above his head, he was surly and grumpy as if it was leading up to the full. He spent the rest of the afternoon shuttered away in the musty depths of the library, he had a wall of books stacked around him and read furiously. His nose was inches from the pages as he devoured anything he could on his condition, when he didn't find anything he threw it into another pile and started another. He spent so much time that Madam Pince was forced to evict him forcefully, with an angry huff he returned to the common room. It was impossible; he couldn't find a single thing about a Blue Moon and werewolves.

He found James and Sirius in the dorms, they were locked at the lips and looked as if they were in risk of tearing each other's hair out. Remus felt a swooping sensation deep in his stomach, as if he had missed a step going down stairs. He bit down hard on his lower lip as a furious growl echoed through his head, with a shudder he fled the room, the door slammed shut behind him.


	5. Heartache

**Chapter Four: Heartache**

_Want. Need. Mate. Want. Mine. Mine. Mine. MINE! _

_Sweat slicked bodies writhed. Teeth like daggers bit at flesh, the metallic taste of blood stung lips. Claws dug into delicate white skin, a low growl, a sharp nip and finally he could claim what was rightfully his. The body beneath him trembled with need, lust stained silver eyes met his and a soft whisper escaped those beautiful bloodied lips. Sirius arched his back, his eyes closing as a cry of pleasure left his lips, he lifted his legs and wrapped them firmly around Remus' waist and moved his hips up sharply. "Fuck me." He gasped and dragged Remus down to taste his lips. "I need you. I want you. Remus…" His voice was demanding, his tone insolent and dripping with desire. _

_Want. Need. Mate. Want. Mine. Mine. Mine. MINE!_

_Remus was helpless against his own lust, he moved his hips as Sirius cried out his name. He bent his head and bit down at the juncture where his neck met his shoulder, Sirius grabbed his hair tightly in his fist and almost purred. Remus could taste blood coating his tongue, his cock was surrounded by heat, his mind flooded with endorphins and the scent of pheromones drowned him. He grabbed Sirius' hands and pinned them above his head in one of his own, Sirius smirked deviously at him, eyes twinkling with what Remus recognised as a show of dominance. _

_MINE! MATE! NEED! WANT! DESIRE! OWN! CLAIM!_

_Their heartbeats seemed to be too loud in the silent darkness, Sirius threw his head back, revealing his vulnerable throat. "I know you want this. I know you've dreamt of it." Sirius' laughter was soft as he moaned and drew Remus closer with his legs. "You want to fuck me deep and hard, you want to put your mark on me, ensure no one else touches this body…" He met Remus' eyes and slid a hand down his body, he wrapped a hand around his own erection and licked his lips slowly. "I can be yours you know, it's so easy. All I need is for you to let go…" Remus was helpless, the desire in those glittering, moonlight filled eyes sucked him in and he was suffocating on his own stifled passions. "Let go, Remus Lupin. Let go and let Him to the surface, you can do it. Let him stake his claim on me, let him fuck me for you and then I'll have no choice. Then we can be one. Truly, utterly one. Never apart. I'd never leave you, I'd only ever touch _you_, I'd _never_ stray. Let Him go and you can love me, fuck me, break me on the bedrock of your lust until there's _nothing_ left." Sirius smirked again, he lifted himself up onto his elbows so his sweat-slicked hair clung to his shoulders and forehead, he was panting heavily and shuddering. His lips brushed Remus' and he felt an intense orgasm building into a tight coil in his stomach. "Take me! Cum, Remus."_

Remus woke with a jolt and a loud gasp as he came hard all over his own stomach, he stifled the noise with his hand and bit down into the tender flesh. When it faded he slumped back into his pillow gasping. His heart raced, hammering against his ribs as if it was trying to escape. "Oh fuck…" Remus whispered into the darkness of the dorm. He pushed his hands into sweaty hair and closed his eyes tightly, he had never had such a realistic wet dream nor one that was so intense. He was still shaking when he realised there was one less person snoring in the room, he tensed and bit down hard on his bottom lip. Had he spoken aloud? Had he let his darkest desires escape? He froze, listening with every ounce of his being for some sign of what Sirius was up to.

Sirius closed his eyes tightly and shivered, sweat dried on his skin as he fought to recover from the scarily real dream. He had never experienced such an intense orgasm, it was confusing because he hadn't been with James in this dream. He put both hands over his face and sighed shakily. "Remus." He breathed. "What are you doing to me?"

Remus heard the whisper, it carried across the room and he felt his stomach clench. Had Sirius had a similar dream? Had they shared a dream? He wandered if it had happened before. He stayed silent, Sirius probably didn't expect an answer anyway.

Both boys stayed awake for a long time afterwards, they took comfort in each other's confusion and fear as the scent of their dreams lingered on until dawn.

~XXX~

The beginning of December made Remus begin to act ever more strangely, as the day of the full moon grew closer he withdrew into himself. He avoided hanging around with Sirius, even though it seemed to cause him pain. James and Peter could only watch as Sirius became quiet, as he sat in the common room and gazed into the fire with a sad expression. If James attempted to get close Sirius would shake his head and push him away gently, his eyes had lost their previous sparkle and he was looking exhausted. Usually it was Remus who had the bags beneath his eyes at this time, normally it was Remus who became quiet and irritable, but Sirius had begun to act differently too. Worry cast it's shadow over the marauder's the teachers noticed a concerning drop in their pranks and Sirius' grades took a dive. McGonagall put him in detention but to no avail, she removed house points but it didn't seem to make a difference. Eventually, when Sirius fell asleep during class she sent him to Pomfrey, the nurse fussed around him and found nothing physically wrong except a lack of sleep. She allowed him to sleep in the Hospital Wing and he was later joined by Remus who could no longer stay awake, he glanced over at Sirius who lay curled up beneath the thin white blankets and he felt the wolf within shifting restlessly. A single word echoed through his mind, his eyes flashed amber briefly;

_Soon._

~XXX~

The moon rose above the tree line, it sat in it's night time shroud like a fat pale sapphire. The air was cold enough to burn the lungs, the stars glittered from on high like thousands of tiny diamonds. Sirius felt his eyes drawn constantly to that fat, bloated sphere surrounded by it's icy halo. "Padfoot?" He jumped slightly and returned his eyes to the earth, James was watching him in concern. "Will you be alright on your own?" he asked, his nerves obvious by the way he fidgeted with his robes.

Sirius forced his face into a smile. "'Course I will be, stop worrying Prongs." They stood in the entrance hall before the great double doors. "You go do your detention, mate."

James bit his bottom lip and nodded reluctantly. "Alright…" He took a few steps away from his boyfriend before turning back, he grabbed him and yanked him close. Their lips met and parted at the exact same time and James found himself reluctant to let him go. "Be careful." He breathed and turned away again, leaving Sirius standing by the door looking alone and highlighted by an eerie blue aura. Sirius watched James walk up the Marble Staircase, when he was out of sight he pulled the silvery invisibility cloak over himself and disappeared.

Moony gazed up at the moon through the only window in the small room, he was perfectly still as his eyes glowed dimly. He kept his tail wrapped around his feet, his massive shoulders were tense and his ears alert for any untoward sounds. He could feel his human self sleeping fitfully deep inside his subconscious, he didn't want any interference this night. Suddenly his triangular ears twitched, he lifted his nose and scented the air with half-closed eyes, when the familiar smell of Dog reached him he smiled his wolfish smile and blue light glinted off of perfectly white dagger-like canine's. He was here.

Padfoot nosed the box that usually blocked the secret passageway out of the way as he scrambled out into the room, he huffed and shook himself before turning to face his new pack-mate. When he spotted the hulking shadow of the grey wolf his tail went into the air and he wagged it happily, with two bounds he leapt towards his friend and began sniffing his muzzle excitedly. He yipped once and stared at him intently, expecting some sign of what to do next from the wolf. The creature stared intently at the dog, amber eyes glowing softly as blue light fell down through the dusty, shattered window. They could hear the wind in the trees at the back of the house, the wooden shack creaked ominously in the tense silence, somewhere far off, an owl hooted once before falling silent. Padfoot woofed softly, his manner playful and excited, but the wolf simply sat there and stared at him. He was disconcerted by its apparent lack of interest in play, they had played before and it had been fun, why was he so cold now? He tried again to incite the wolf into playing with him, he crouched down on his front legs, bum in the air and tail wagging frantically, he huffed, yipped and hopped forward. The wolf looked at him down his muzzle, disdain in those haunting eyes. Padfoot jumped forward, nipping at one of the wolf's ears and growling happily, the wolf casually lifted a paw and batted him aside. Padfoot snorted and sent a puff of dust into the air before climbing back to his feet, he cocked his head to one side and whinged, he didn't like the energies the wolf was radiating. Slowly, cautiously, he crept forward with his head low and his ears at half-mast. He gently began to sniff at Moony's muzzle, his breath causing the grey fur to stir.

Moony turned his eyes to the moon and felt a surge of power flood him, it shone directly in through the window and revealed the room in a harsh, cold light. It was time to make his claim, however, he needed Padfoot in Human form and there were certain rituals that needed to be completed before the magical bond was sealed forever. He rose, making Padfoot jump back nervously, the black dog's tail swished through the air. Moony puffed himself up, his hackles rose and his lips peeled back from his cursed teeth, a low, intimidating growl rent the silence and somewhere an owl screeched like a dying woman. Padfoot's demeanour changed rapidly, he lowered his head and let a growl of his own escape as he revealed his own teeth in warning. As the wolf stalked forward, Padfoot backed away. Moony paused for a moment, he eyed his chosen mate carefully as the hulking dog scrunched protectively in on itself. He had to find a way for the Dog to return to being human, it was the only way he could seal the bond. It had taken months of preparation, he had seen and desired this human for a long time, perhaps it was a reaction to his own human's confused, vague feelings or perhaps the attraction had been simply because he understood this odd creature. Whatever the reasoning, Moony knew he wanted this human. No other would do, he had no one of his own species to copulate with so his choices were extremely limited.

Padfoot waited in tense anticipation for the wolf to make its first move, he wasn't sure what he had done to set the creature off this time but didn't dwell on it. What mattered was that he avoid getting his throat torn out. The wolf moved…

The fight was fast and brief, Padfoot stood no chance as the blue moon empowered Moony beyond his normal strength. The wolf easily managed to fling Padfoot to the floor and pin him by the throat, he felt his teeth dig deep through wiry fur and into flesh. The dog whined pitifully as the wolf leaned it's full weight down onto it, he felt it trembling, occasionally trying to get its feet under it and stand. It struggled uselessly for ten minutes before abruptly going limp. Moony released its throat before going for its forepaw, its teeth shattered bone with one fast snap.

Padfoot screamed, he dragged himself to his feet, limping on his injured paw before limping towards the bed. He crouched down and tried to crawl beneath it in an attempt to escape, he felt jaws close over his tail, paws caught him and he was born back to the wooden floor beneath the weight of his attacker. It happened to suddenly. One minute Padfoot was struggling helplessly against the animal bearing down upon his back, the eerie blue light from the moon hit the scene and illuminated it in a frozen glow. Padfoot yelped and convulsed violently, his eyes suddenly snapped into much sharper focus, he began to see colour bleeding into his normally black and white world. Fur receded, his paws turned to hands and feet which clawed helplessly at the wooden floor, gouging lines into the dust. All of a sudden his thoughts became long complicated streams of emotions, words and pictures and he gasped.

Eyes widening in horror Sirius stared at the shadow of the wolf that was thrown across the bed, his heart stopped in his chest as he attempted to discover what had forced him from his transformation. Hot breath brushed the back of his neck and he shuddered violently, his wrist was useless with bone sticking from it in an angle. Blood coated the floor in a growing pool and Sirius' vision wavered as pain assaulted him. "M-Moony…" He breathed, hissing the name between his teeth as slowly he rolled onto his back. The wolf growled in satisfaction.

~XXX~

Sirius stirred, his body ached beyond anything he had ever experienced before. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes, pinkish-gold light streamed down through the window and burned his retinas. Pain stabbed through his head and he swore softly, his voice left him in a choked growl and he licked at his dry lips. The taste of blood clogged the back of his throat, as he blindly ran his hand over his face, he paused as he touched a burning line on his cheek. Gently he probed the wound, his fingers following it to where it ended just above his collar bone. "Fuck…" He rasped, his eyes opening suddenly. His other wrist was throbbing in agony, slowly, inch by inch he sat upright and blinked dazedly around the room. Blood spattered the place he lay, he was wearing little more than rags and when he checked himself over with his good hand he felt long, horrible looking scratches that ran down his buttocks and thighs. They were burning as if he had rubbed salt into the wounds, wincing he hissed air through his teeth but when he tried to roll his shoulders more pain lanced down his side. He whimpered helplessly and automatically lifted his hand to cover his shoulder, he gingerly felt the tender spot and felt several small, but deep wounds. Only one thing could have made them; Teeth. He shuddered and swallowed the bile that rose in his throat, he searched the room desperately for some sign of Remus and found him lying on the bed with a small, satisfied smile on his lips. In the early dawn light Sirius thought he had never seen him look happier, he smiled to himself in response, temporarily forgetting his injuries at the sight of his best friend-

_mate_

-looking so content. With great difficulty and with lots of pain, Sirius got to his feet and swayed dangerously, he took a few gulps of air and steadied himself on the bed post before taking his wand from what remained of his pocket and slowly beginning to heal what wounds he could.

~XXX~

"Sirius! What the hell happened?!" James exclaimed with wide eyes as his lover stumbled in through the dorm door. His eyes widened when he saw the long, livid looking scratch that travelled down his cheek to the very top of his collar-bone. He could see blood staining a torn bit of shirt that Sirius had wrapped around his wrist, it ran down his arm in red rivulets and dripped to the floor. Sirius was white as a sheet, his eyes burning in his face as if he had a fever. James leapt out of bed and ran to his side just as Sirius collapsed, he caught him and slid to the floor. "Sirius? Come on, stay with me!"

Sirius' eyes flickered and he took a shuddering gasp, he swallowed and his lips parted. "Was…attacked…" He gasped, wincing as pain shot through his broken wrist. "Can't really remember…what happened…I…Jamie…" He shivered, his mouth twisting in a grimace. "Fuck, Moony really did a number on me."

"Peter?" James turned to their plump friend who was hovering nervously by his side. "Go get Madam Pomfrey…"

Sirius reached up with his good hand and grabbed James by the lapel of his pyjama's, he growled in his throat. "No. If you do that you'll ruin everything! They can't find out…if they do we'll…we'll end up in fucking Azkaban! I…I'll deal with this…Think of an excuse…Just don't tell the teachers."

Reluctantly James agreed, they had very little choice as Sirius could be extremely stubborn when he wanted to be. They helped Sirius to his bed and helped him remove what remained of his clothes, they threw these away and hoped the House Elves wouldn't say anything to any teachers. James thought it very strange when he stared at the half-healed wounds covering Sirius' thighs, why would the wolf have attacked Sirius there of all places? It didn't make much sense to him. Together they managed to heal the wounds, although all three of them knew that scars from a werewolf would never heal or fade. Sirius' eyes were dark when he stood up, he swayed on his feet but ignored offers of help from James and Peter, he went to bathroom in silence and shut the door on their worried faces. Sirius stared ahead of himself and felt terror grip his heart, his chest tightened and he took a few shallow breaths. He stank of blood, terror and wolf. The stench was so strong it almost made him gag, he stumbled forward and almost fell into a shower cubical. With hands that shook violently he somehow managed to turn the hot water on, it cascaded over his head and he sighed as steam surrounded him and his new scars from view. His chest began to loosen slightly as blood, sweat and fear drained away with the water. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the cold tile, his mind was filled with flashes of random images; Amber eyes, the feel of soft fur against his back, sharp teeth piercing flesh, muscle and lodging deep into his shoulder blade. He felt his hairs stand on end all over his body, slowly he half opened his eyes and felt them burn savagely. A sob that was barely drowned out by the sounds of rushing water escaped his lips and he gritted his teeth as the full realisation of what had happened came over him. Slowly he sank to the floor of the shower, ignoring the hammering of the fist against the door and the voice of his terrified boyfriend, how could he ever face them again? How could he ever even look Remus-

_Mate_

-in the eyes again?


	6. Claim

_AN: Back with another chapter, I hope this is to your liking. For those Remus/Sirius fans out there it will soon turn in that direction, have no fear. And for those James/Sirius fans there will be that love triangle through it. Now then, I have done some research on Harry Potter Werewolves but it makes no mention of what happens after a victim is bitten so I made it up. :D Enjoy and please R&R, thank you._

**Chapter Five: Claim**

It began to snow at Lunchtime, the students ended up outside to play in it and so the castle was almost empty when Remus was released from the Hospital Wing. He was greeted by James and Peter, there was no sign of Sirius. He walked over to where they stood at the bottom of the Marble Staircase, he smiled at them in greeting. The minute he had woken up in the shack he had been feeling oddly elated, there was a satisfied warmth in his chest that had no reason for being there, but he wasn't about to complain. It made a nice change from waking up feeling miserable. "Hullo." He said to his friends as he drew to their sides, they looked at him and he felt worry gnaw at him. James was looking pale and fearful, Peter was chewing his bottom lip and twisting his hands together.

"Remus, do you remember much from last night?" James asked slowly.

"No…" Remus said and then he realised how strange that was, he could remember what happened to him every full moon so why was last night so different? A frown marred his forehead. "Why? What's happened? Where's Sirius?"

James glanced at Peter and his hand tightened on the banister, finally he took a shuddery breath. "Come on, I think we should talk to him…I…I don't know what happened either he hasn't spoken to me since dawn." James dug around in his pocket and took out a wrinkled piece of parchment, with a tap of his wand lines began to spread across it to reveal a map of Hogwarts in miniscule detail.

~XXX~

Sirius stood on the astronomy tower and watched the little figures below, he felt the chill wind biting at his bare hands and face but he ignored it. Fear had his heart in its icy grip, his fingers dug into the stone Battlement so hard that his fingernails had broken. He felt waves of sickness washing over him and continued to break out in cold sweats. His shoulders trembled and he had never felt so weak before, the sunlight burned his eyes and made them water, or at least that's what he told himself. He ran over the little flashes of memories he still retained from the previous night, each one sent stabbing pains through his heart but he continued to attempt to piece them together, he had to be certain. He had to know for sure. Had Remus bitten him when he was human? He rocked back and forth slightly on the balls of his feet, his teeth chewing absently at his lip as he stared down at the snow filled grounds around the castle. Suddenly he squeezed his eyes shut tightly, there was no other explanation, all evidence pointed towards it. He couldn't try to deny the truth any longer. He took a deep, shuddering breath and his eyes flew open. Without another thought he scrambled up onto the parapet and stood there, a frozen wind picked up his hair and tugged at it playfully. In his head he could hear his mother's voice, he knew what they would say when they found out. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes again, blocking out the grey sky. Flakes of snow landed on his burning cheeks and melted like tears. When he opened them again he sighed heavily and took a step forward-

Hands grabbed him, he was yanked roughly back from the edge and pulled away from the parapet. He fought his saviours, struggling against their hands as they pinned him down. Suddenly pain tore through his scalp as someone grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head back, he opened his eyes and stared at familiar faces. James was pale, his hair standing out in stark contrast to his skin, his mouth was pulled down into a pained grimace as if he was fighting with himself not to be sick. Remus was panting heavily, his eyes wide with fear and Peter was stood back gaping like a fish out of water. Sirius struggled again, almost kicking James in the leg. "Let me go!" He growled furiously. "Let me go, James!"

"No!" James snapped back, he grabbed his wand and pointed it at Sirius, still pinning him down with his body. Sirius stilled and eyed the tip warily. "Stay still or I'll knock you out!"

Sirius' chest heaved but he went still, James' face relaxed slightly but he still looked upset. Remus appeared to be hyperventilating. His brown eyes appeared to be taking up half his face, Sirius slowly met his gaze and they stared at each other in silence. Time stopped. Remus stopped breathing, slowly, like a man in a dream, he lifted a violently shaking hand and pushed James off of Sirius roughly. He grabbed Sirius' shirt and ripped it open to reveal those perfect teeth marks, something inside him glowed with pride at the work but Remus' stomach tightened painfully and he opened and closed his mouth a few times. His whole body shook and Sirius closed his eyes, forcing away the vision of Remus' terror. James glanced from one to the other, his eyes narrow and suddenly he realised what had happened and it was as if a bludger had hit him in the chest. He gasped, eyes huge behind his glasses as he stared at Remus who was now slowly backing away. "No." James breathed, shaking his head in denial. James stood abruptly, he grabbed Remus by his robes and shook him, forcing their eyes to meet. "D-Did…Did you…?" He breathed, hardly even able to force those words through his numb lips. Remus could only shake his head. James felt hands grab him, he was yanked away from his terrified friend and he felt Sirius pull him close, hands tangled in his hair as Sirius pressed their foreheads together.

"James…" he breathed in a shaking voice. "L-Listen to me…I…W-When I was i-in the shack…Moony attacked me. He…he somehow f-forced me out of my Animagus f-form…Then he…" Sirius swallowed, his eyes went dark and he gritted his teeth tightly before continuing. "He…he bit me." He finished in a tiny voice.

They both heard Remus taking gasping breaths; he fell to his knees with one hand covering his mouth as he stared blindly at the stone floor. "No." He croaked.

Sirius closed his eyes and blocked out James pained expression. Suddenly he released his boyfriend and stepped backwards, he re-opened his eyes and stared at them all. "Do you know what my family do to Werewolves?" he rasped, his hands trembling violently. James grimaced and shook his head, he didn't want to know. "They exterminate them. We c-can't have werewolves in the family a-after all…" He laughed bitterly and suddenly sat down again, he pulled his knees into his chest and gazed into space with a blank expression.

James stared at his two best friends, one apparently having a panic attack and the other almost comatose. Peter began shuffling his feet nervously. "We have to tell the teachers." He whispered.

James ignored him. Remus was on all fours, his head low so his face was hidden from them. When he spoke it was in a voice softer than a whisper. "I'm sorry."

Sirius closed his eyes and buried his face in his knees. "Yeah, me too." His voice was monotonous, lacking in any sort of emotion.

Later that evening they went down to the Great Hall for some food, Sirius and Remus kept their distance, Remus too afraid to act on the turbulent emotions coursing through his system and Sirius who had barely spoken a word to any of them since they had found out the terrible truth, still attempting to adjust. None of them ate much and their lack of energy gained the attentions of several people, they were subjected to strange looks which they ignored. Finally they stood to leave the table, Sirius stepped over the bench and turned towards the doors when suddenly heat coursed through his veins, he gasped and stumbled slightly. It was as if poison was working its way towards his heart, a terrible burning sensation crept through his nerves from the bite wounds he had sustained. His legs shook and his face drained of colour, his eyesight blurred and he grabbed his shoulder in a reflex action that sent more agony tearing through his body. James was at his side, talking rapidly but his words were meaningless noise as a horrible roaring sound filled his ears, Sirius' eyes rolled up into the back of his head and his knees gave way.

James caught him as he collapsed, his body went rigid and he began trembling, his muscles jerking spasmodically. "Sirius! Sirius!" James called, shaking his lover slightly. He had no idea what to do. Remus watched and turned towards the teacher's table, eyes were beginning to turn in their direction and the Headmaster stood up as he spotted the commotion. He swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat and before he could control himself he fled. "Remus, where are you-" James watched the tail end of his friends robes whip out of sight, he could feel Sirius' fit becoming more violent by the second and he held him tighter. He gritted his teeth against confusion and pain and lowered his head over his boyfriend's chest. "Sirius…" He breathed as mutters began sweeping the hall, feet clattered to a halt at his side and he felt strong hands peeling him away from Sirius. "No…No he's…he needs me…"

"Shh, it's alright Mr. Potter we'll take him to the hospital wing."

"No!" James turned to find himself gazing into Dumbledore's bright blue eyes, McGonagall was waving her wand to conjure a stretcher. "Please, sir, you don't understand he can't…"

Dumbledore looked grave. "I think I understand rather more than you are giving me credit for. Sirius will live, James." He stood up and followed the Deputy Head with the stretcher.

~XXX~

Remus sat alone in the shack, he curled up into a tight ball with his hands over his head as if protecting himself from the violent rage tearing his insides to shreds. He shuddered violently and choked on a desperate sob. His worst fear had come to fulfilment, he had turned one of his friends into a monster. They would now be subjected to the same torment he went through each month, they would be shunned and bullied and perhaps even attacked. It was all his fault. All because he had allowed them to get close, all because he had been too weak to prevent himself from desiring friendship. He moaned and curled up into a tighter ball as tears leaked from beneath his tightly closed eye lids. Guilt, pain and gut wrenching terror filled him until he thought he would explode.

And then, as if he had suddenly fallen asleep he found himself stood in an odd swirling mist. A shadow loomed before him, a shadow with glowing amber eyes. _Come now, Human, are you not grateful for what I did?_

_Grateful? _Remus replied feeling a tinge of anger. _Why would I be grateful for you destroying my best friend?!_

The shadow paced before him, a hulking mass of formless grey cloud. _You should be thanking me on bended knee, Human. I have fulfilled your deepest desire._

_I did not desire this! You destroyed him! You've condemned him to a life of abject misery!_

_No, I have given you a suitable mate. The Human is mine but he can also become yours. There is one last thing that must be done to seal the contract, you must mate with him before the next full moon. If this is not done he will become wild, the change will drive him insane._

Remus frowned in confusion. _But I didn't go insane when I changed the first time._

_No because that was an entirely different situation. The Wolf that bit you and created me was only after revenge, I was born from that desire and it was only through your memories and emotions that I could grow and become my own creature. I am no longer ruled by the passions of revenge and hate, I have my own needs, my own desires. _

_Sirius._

_Indeed. I want him and you must give him to me, remember; mate before the next full moon or he will turn into little more than a ravenous beast. If the contract is not sealed he will destroy your other friends. Human, there is no way out of this. No other can mate with my chosen, assert your dominance and make him submit to us, you have three weeks._

Remus watched the mist fade, the voice grew distant and darkness crept into his mind. The last thing he saw were glowing eyes and he heard a soft growl echo through his subconscious.

~XXX~

The Hospital Wing was silent as the teachers gathered around the end of Sirius' bed, Pomfrey had her hand over her mouth as she stared down at the horrible wounds covering the boy's pale frame. "Oh my." She whispered hoarsely.

Dumbledore turned to James who was staring at his boyfriend with frightened eyes. "James, explain to me why Sirius is in this condition, I have my suspicions but for us to help him I will need to understand the whole story."

James flinched and looked away from those blue eyes, they appeared full of disappointment. He sat down slowly, simply for something to do as he ordered his thoughts. "It all started in our second year." He began in a rough voice, he cleared his throat and continued. "We found out Remus was a werewolf after following him down to the Whomping Willow, well, it was inevitable really. How could we not work out that he disappeared and became ill every month at the time of the full moon? We'd have to have been stupid to not realise. When we found out we told him that we didn't care, after all he was only a wolf one night every month, what did it matter to us? But secretly, behind his back, we hatched a plan of our own. We began to research becoming Animagus." He looked up at McGonagall who stared at him in disbelief. "And then we began practising, we worked hard for three years straight until this summer when we finally perfected our transformations. It was fun…the idea that we could now transform with Remus every full was exciting and the first time we did it everything went perfectly. The wolf wasn't as vicious, once it had got to know us and we calmed it. It couldn't pass on Lycanthropy because we were animals…I thought it was the perfect plan." James' mouth twisted and he put his head in his hand. "But…last night…something went wrong. Peter and I had detention so Sirius went to stay with Remus alone. I don't know what exactly happened but apparently Remus attacked him, he was forced from his transformation and…and…"

"He was bitten." Dumbledore concluded. He sighed heavily and frowned down at the unconscious boy in the bed. "That explains rather a lot. What you did was monumentally stupid, you could have been killed or put in Azkaban…but that is neither here nor there. Do you truly understand what happened, James?"

"Sirius is a-a…a werewolf." James muttered, avoiding the teachers' eyes.

"Indeed, but it is more than that. There is a little known secret to do with Werewolves. When the moon is blue it gives them extraordinary powers and the desire to mate."

James' head jerked up as he remembered the odd way Remus and Sirius were acting around each other. He stared at the Headmaster.

"When the wolf has chosen a mate they may begin to exhibit odd behaviour, perhaps their sex drive will increase or they will have a preference for biting and raw meat…it differs for each individual. They will begin to act as if they are already a werewolf; increased exhaustion, irritability and perhaps they may withdraw from their friends. The Werewolf meanwhile will become overprotective of their mate, they will act out in increasing violence and sometimes they will try to force a transformation before the full moon to fight off any prospective rivalry." James touched his head where he had hit it, he remembered Remus pushing him down the stairs and shivered. "Then, on the appearance of the Blue Moon, they will attack their chosen mate and force them to submit. They are given strength beyond what they normally would have and they will overpower their victims easily. The first part of the ritual will be completed when the wolf has bonded with his mate in animal form…"

"Y-You mean…that he…with Sirius…" James gasped, disgust tingeing his voice.

"I am afraid so, that is what happened last night and it explains the claw marks on Sirius' legs. The first stage of the mating ritual is complete when the wolf lays its claim upon their body, through the act of mating and through a bite usually to the back of the neck or shoulder during the act its self. The victims are known to be unaware of the bite at first, they are usually caught up in the moment so to speak."

James gazed at Sirius' unconscious form, his stomach twisted as he imagined Sirius on all fours with a massive wolf on him. "That's horrible." He whispered.

"Normally of course the male wolf will choose a female; it is in its nature to wish to breed but this case is different. Sirius, being male, will not be able to carry cubs…I am not exactly certain why the wolf would choose a male mate."

"What…what can we do, Albus?" McGonagall whispered as if she were in the presence of a dying person.

"We can do nothing, Minerva. I am afraid that if Sirius does not complete the ritual there will be terrible consequences."

James slowly looked up, his face an impassive mask. "What is the last bit of the ritual?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"He must consummate his pact with the human aspect of the Werewolf that bit him, I am unsure what will happen if he does not but I can assure you the results would be catastrophic."

James gazed at his unconscious boyfriend in silence, he couldn't dredge up the will to feel anything except numbness. It was better he felt nothing, it was easier to think of Remus and Sirius together, even if he knew the numbness wouldn't last.


	7. Ritual

_AN: A surprisingly short chapter, I apologise for that. Please enjoy what I have done and any comment is most welcome. This chapter contains smut; yay! (And yes, it's awkward smut but I hope I have handled the situation delicately enough)_

**Chapter Six: Ritual**

Sirius sat in the Hospital bed and stared down at his hands, they rested in his lap like two pale gloves. He couldn't feel them, it was as if he was inhabiting someone else's body, as if he were looking at the world through the eyes of another. The teachers had explained everything, how he had already mated once with an animal, even if he had been only half-aware of it and how he now had to seal the contract with Remus' human half. He swallowed and shivered as he remembered his dreams, they were becoming more erotic each night, his body burned with desire, his cock got hard at the mere mention of sex with his best friend. His mind, however, was repulsed by the idea. It's Remus, he thought, our _friend_ Remus Lupin! It was as if he were contemplating fucking his own brother, (which would, in all honesty, be the height of narcissism). Contrary to most people's belief's Sirius was a virgin, (he didn't count being raped by a big, angry werewolf as losing his virginity) he and James had yet to take it any further than blow jobs and kisses, not through lack of trying on Sirius' part but James insisted that if he had sex with Sirius it would make him 'all the way gay' and he was having none of it. He sighed heavily and lifted his head to stare at the two get well soon cards on his bedside table, one was from James and had a badly drawn picture of a dog with a bandaged paw and the other was from Peter which was simply a folded piece of parchment with a few inky rat-prints all over it. He hadn't seen Remus since his incarceration in the Hospital Wing; he could only hope the boy didn't blame him for what happened.

Remus paced. He could feel his friends watching him but he couldn't sit still. Sirius was due to be released from the Hospital Wing at any moment and he was fighting with his instinct to run away, he had to force his hands still and his eyes away from James'. Since the revelation of what the wolf had done James had only said one thing to him; Treat him well, those simple words had nearly broken Remus' fragile hold on his turbulent emotions. James loved Sirius, that was obvious, but the wolf was never going to let Sirius go so Remus had no choice but to give in to his demands. Each time he thought of what was to happen his stomach twisted, he felt viciously sick and yet he could feel a definitive sense of excitement and arousal at the thought of finally living out his highly erotic dreams. He forced himself under control just as the door to the Fifth Year boy's Dorm opened, Sirius stood there with his eyes darting to each of them in turn, they came to rest on Remus' and the tension was so thick they could have cut it with a severing charm. Sirius swallowed but straightened his shoulders, he looked pale and wan but his eyes burned brightly behind his heavy black fringe.

"Welcome back, Sirius." James said slowly, he stood and walked over to his lover, he paused in the act of dragging him into an embrace before thinking better of it. Instead they clasped hands and only stared at each other. "I'm glad you're alright."

Sirius released James and smiled bitterly. "Alright? I've never been less alright, mate." He said in a sneering voice. "I've been turned into a monster, this next full moon will make the change final. There's no cure. My family, who already hate me, will probably want to murder me and I've lost my lover…no, I will never be alright."

James closed his eyes briefly. "I'm sorry." He breathed.

"Don't be. Things are as they are, I'll deal with each matter as it arises." Sirius said quietly and his determined silver gaze met Remus'. "First things first, I've got to give up my body."

"Sirius…Padfoot…I-I'm sorry…Really…" Remus began haltingly, Sirius walked past him and sat down on his bed.

"Don't apologise, I don't blame you. The only person at fault in all this is me, I was stupid and thought I didn't know what the changes in your personality meant…I ignored all the warning signs and still spent that night with you in the shack. The blame lies entirely with me." He avoided James' eyes, they had come to a silent decision, and it was as if his heart had been ripped from his chest and stamped on repeatedly but he was going to hold firm because he couldn't allow Remus to get hurt. Sirius sighed and lowered his head, hair cascaded over his face in a wave of silken ebony and he heard James and Peter leave. When he was certain they were gone he lifted his head and stared intently at Remus who began to fidget nervously. "Come here." Sirius whispered and lifted his hand, he was surprised to see how steady it was, considering what they were about to do. Remus moved and sat by Sirius' side.

"I-I…" Remus began and swallowed his nerves. "I'm a virgin." He said softly, still refusing to look at Sirius who seemed so calm considering how fast everything was happening. He felt soft, warm skin against his own and almost flinched, Sirius was brushing hair from his neck.

"Yeah, join the club." Sirius replied with a small, tired smile.

Remus gaped at him in surprise. "But you and James…"

"We've done everything but go all the way, you know James' views on such matters. He is still adamant that he doesn't really fancy blokes." Sirius smiled affectionately as he thought of his boyfriend. "I think the wolf knew, he'd be able to smell it if I wasn't." Sirius let a finger trail gently down Remus' throat as he leaned closer. "I know enough to get us started…just…be careful."

Remus nodded and lifted his eyes, they stared at each other awkwardly a moment before Remus pulled his courage together and leaned in. His lips ended up pressed to Sirius' chin, he went bright red and pulled away. "Sorry." He muttered and Sirius grabbed his chin and guided their lips together, it was like nothing Remus had experienced before. Yes, he had kissed a reasonable amount of girls, not all the times he went to the library were to study, but kissing Sirius was surreal. He could feel his chapped lips against his own, they were cushiony and plump but he could also feel a roughness from where he had not yet shaved. It was quite pleasant, he reflected as Sirius parted his lips so Remus' tongue could slide between them. When their tongues met electricity shot down his spine and he felt his cock take an interest, it was warm and wet and beautiful. Remus moaned quietly and heard Sirius respond, the wolf in his subconscious growled happily.

Sirius felt the strangeness of the kiss, it was unfamiliar territory and not one he had ever considered exploring until now but it was hot. Hot and wet and Remus really was rather a good kisser. He couldn't stop the tiny little noises of pleasure escaping, he could feel his body heating up in response and couldn't resist pushing Remus onto the bed and straddling his hips. He could feel his friend's erection pressing into his thigh and he pushed down with his hips causing a pretty flush of blood to appear on Remus' cheeks, he smiled as he moved again and felt hands clamp onto his hips. They continued to kiss, enjoying the steady movement of tongues and bodies but it wasn't long before Sirius began to get impatient. He pulled away with a soft gasp and pulled open Remus' robes, he pulled his shirt up and began sucking and licking his nipples. Sirius was now on total auto-pilot and nothing would stop him from pleasuring his mate.

Remus' fingers found themselves tangled in that thick dark hair, he tugged on it as he felt Sirius' wet tongue slide over one of his nipples. It hardened and he arched his back, pushing against Sirius' face and body as he began to rock his hips helplessly. "Oh…S-Siri…" He whispered, his eyes fluttering closed as he felt Sirius respond to the movement of his body. Sirius released the nipple he was torturing and moved to the next, Remus felt his hand slide downwards to grasp at his aching cock and he moaned heavily. He began pressing against that intrepid hand, the tongue adding layers of sensation he had never even dreamed of. Utter bliss washed through him and before he knew it he was lost in the ravenous lust of his inner wolf, his eyes snapped open and he yanked Sirius' head away from his scarred chest, they stared at each other for a long moment before Sirius smiled weakly.

"Do it." He muttered, voice thick with helpless desire. "Fuck me, Remus…I know you want this as much as I do." With that he rolled his hips and watched Remus' lips part, he hissed air through his teeth and nipped at Remus' lip. "Mm…Merlin…"

It was impossible to deny the gentle demand in Sirius' tone, Remus rolled them both over and tugged down Sirius' jeans with fumbling fingers. When they were around his ankles he pulled down his own. Sirius stared at it for a moment through heavily lidded eyes before he licked his lips, their eyes met once again and a slow, lazy smile drifted across Sirius' face. "Impressive, Moony." He growled and Remus pushed him onto his front. Instinct drove him, he was lost to the wolf in his subconscious. It guided his movements as he reached towards Sirius' arse and pushed two fingers between his cheeks. He watched and listened intently with his head cocked to one side as Sirius began soft moans of pleasure and pain. When Sirius was pushing against his hand Remus released him, he stared down at his friend who was on all fours and shivering with anticipation, his legs spread slightly and his skin on fire. "Sirius…" Remus muttered as he took his own hard erection in one hand and moved it up and down the shaft a few times, he simply enjoyed the view for a moment before he heard an impatient noise.

"Get _on_ with it, Moony." Sirius hissed, more than a little irritated. He heard a little breathless chuckle from behind him before something hot and hard was pressing against him, he bit down on his lower lip and pushed aside all his doubts and nervousness. It was fine. It was Moony after all, his best friend. Surely he could cope with that? He felt himself being stretched and gripped the bed sheets tightly in his fists, he lowered his head to the mattress and breathed slowly. It burned and pinched slightly, the feeling was unfamiliar and strange, he hoped it would get better.

Remus watched his own cock sliding slowly out of Sirius' body, he couldn't tear his eyes away from it. It was tight and hot and he shook with each thrust, he could feel Sirius tightening around him, his hands fisting in the duvet beneath him as he breathed heavily through the pain. "I-I'm sorry…am I hurting you?" Remus managed to force himself to stop and control himself before he hurt him even further, Sirius shook his head.

"N-Not really…I…Just get on with it…the pain should go soon."

Remus hesitated but couldn't resist the call of his hormones; his hips drew back once again. "Oh yes…" He gasped, eyes closing as he sank himself into sensation. Sirius smiled into the duvet as he listened to Remus, it was good to know he was enjoying it. Then, as Remus adjusted his position Sirius felt a sudden, brutal stab of pleasure. He swore and gasped, a shudder running through his body that made Remus pause. "You alright?" He whispered hoarsely.

"Oh…oh fuck, Rem, do that again…" Sirius replied, slightly out breath as he pushed himself back against the boy inside him. Remus smiled to himself before pulling out and pushing back in again, once again he seemed to hit something that made Sirius groan heavily. "Oh wow…" He began to feel the pain recede, slowly, like the ebbing tide, Pleasure filled his body. "Faster." He muttered, letting his eyes fall closed as he rested his forehead on his forearm. Remus obliged more than willingly, they began to set a fast, jerky pace and their moans and curses only grew louder.

It wasn't long before both of them began to lose control, Sirius reached between his own legs and took hold of his aching cock in one sweaty fist. He bit down on his bottom lip and arched his back as Remus pressed his forehead between his shoulder blades, it was like fireworks going off in his head as he pushed back against that wonderful intrusion. He gasped as he felt a hot tongue down his neck, it passed over the scars on his shoulder and was followed by curious fingers. Sirius went rigid. His muscles tensed as a shockwave of brutal, all consuming pleasure swept through every nerve. His mind was wiped blissfully blank and he could only feel fire racing through his veins, he felt Remus jerk, his cock twitching inside him and then white obliterated all. Sirius came all over the sheets beneath him, his eyes shut tightly and his hand tightening convulsively on his erection. Remus bit down on the mark on his shoulder, his small, human teeth digging into flesh to leave tiny crimson crescents in their wake.

Finally they both collapsed, Remus gathering up the last of his rapidly waning strength to roll off of his mate and lie on his front. Sirius couldn't move, he could feel sweat and cum cooling on his thighs, stomach and hand but he could not care less. When he had recovered enough he slowly rolled onto his side and gazed at Remus through his sweaty fringe, when their eyes met it was like looking into a mirror image. Both sets of eyes glowed faintly amber in the waning light in the bedroom, the two werewolves stared at each other for a long time before Sirius leaned close and pushed a hand into Remus' hair. He gripped it tightly and pressed their lips together, tongues tangled and Sirius tasted his own blood on Remus' tongue. Somewhere, distantly, he could almost hear the faintest of growls.


	8. The Moon

AN: Hi, I hope you're all still enjoying this story. Thank you to the reviews I have so far, they are very much appreciated. This chapter is mostly about the effects the coming of the full moon has over Sirius, what he is experiencing and slowly building up to his first ever change. I have done as much research as I can into Rowling's version of Werewolves so I hope this is as accurate as I can make it. :) Enjoy and as usual I would absolutely love to hear what you think.

**Chapter Seven: The Moon**

The moon hung above the horizon like a giant sickle, it's silvery glow illuminated the castle and cast odd, wavering shadows across the lawn. Sirius breathed in a deep lungful of frozen air, his hands clenched into fists as he felt the scars on his shoulder burn. He had never really taken much notice of the moon before; he had always taken it for granted. Now though he could barely tear his eyes from it, it would reach its full the very next evening and Sirius had found his gaze being constantly drawn to it, it was as if he were the sea and he was merely being pulled around by the tidal effects of that great silver ball of rock. It was becoming an obsession.

"Terrifying, isn't it?"

Sirius turned to see Remus stood just behind him at the top of the steps to the entrance hall, his prefects badge gleamed darkly on his chest as he descended the stairs and reached his mate's side. "I thought you were patrolling tonight?" Sirius replied, ignoring the question and returning his eyes to the moon.

"I was, I've only just finished my rounds…" Remus paused, cocking his head to the side as he surveyed Sirius carefully. "Are you alright?"

"No…not really." Sirius muttered, hands tightening into fists so that his nails dug into the flesh of his palms.

"It's hardest the first time." Remus whispered, gazing up at the full moon with a bitter expression. "It's the unknown that you fear, it gets easier."

Sirius snorted in derision. "Yeah, being torn to shreds every month must be really easy, all you need to do is get the hang of it." He muttered sarcastically.

"True, it continues to be painful but once you know what to expect it becomes a little easier to deal with. Be thankful that you're older; imagine being five years old and having to be locked down in a cellar…I screamed for my mother and father, I was so confused. I didn't really understand what was to happen, although they did explain."

Sirius bit his lower lip and glanced at his friend. "I'm sorry, I never thought…"

"No, it's alright." Remus replied, smiling sardonically. "The difference between us, Sirius, is that you don't have to go through this alone." Slowly, tentatively, he reached out to his mate he felt Sirius' tension through the bond they now shared but after a brief pause Sirius' hand enclosed his. They stood like that for a while, in silence and gazing up at the moon as it gloated over them. Each of them took solace within the other.

~XXX~

James stared at him, he chewed on his lip nervously as he watched Sirius sleep. Remus was curled up at his side, their hands clasped as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He felt envy rising within his chest like a ravenous beast clawing its way out, he had never been able to be so open in his relationship with Sirius. Something had always held him back from displaying obvious affection, even before his best friends who knew they were in a relationship. Seeing Remus looking so content was hurtful, even though his rational mind understood why it was so, he couldn't find it in himself to banish the jealousy. Slowly he began making his way towards his bed, trying not to wake his dorm mates. It wasn't late, curfew wasn't for a another hour yet, but both Remus and Sirius were feeling the full effects of their shared curse and had been driven by exhaustion to an early night. He had nearly reached his bed when he heard someone speak his name; "James?"

James cursed inwardly before turning slowly around, he found himself gazing back into blurry grey eyes. Sirius yawned widely, revealing a set of perfect white teeth as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. "Oh…sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's fine…" Sirius smiled sleepily and sat up, he glanced down at Remus who whined softly in his sleep before rolling over and pulling the duvet over his head. "What are you doing out so late?" Sirius asked.

"It's half eight, Pad's."

"Oh." Sirius rubbed at one eye again and stretched with a wince. "Merlin, no one bloody told me that before the change you feel like your bones have aged a hundred years." He muttered irritably as his neck clicked.

James managed a small smile, his eyes softening with affection. "Yeah, Moony never did explain all of the symptoms to us."

Sirius stood up and moved around the bed, he picked up the water jug that sat on the bedside table and poured himself a glass. As he drank an odd scent reached him, it was a distinctly flowery scent, like Jasmine, Rose and Lily of the Valley. A small frown creased his brow and he put down the glass gently, slowly he faced James and scented the air. "What is that?" He muttered and took a step closer, James backed off a pace without realising he had. Sirius moved closer until he was face to face with his best friend, their eyes met for a long, very intense moment before Sirius ducked his head and grabbed a handful of James' shirt collar. He took a deep breath through his nose, closing his eyes and felt James shiver. He could smell the perfume, definitely a feminine scent, but there was something else as well…some kind of musky undertone to the flowery notes. Sirius opened his eyes, revealing irises that were ringed in deep amber. His feral looking eyes scanned James' face, he could see a small smudge of red on the top of his collar bone. Something made him pull open James' shirt, a few buttons popped off to fly in several directions across the room. He revealed James' throat and several obvious bruises, some were yellowed as if a few days old and some were fresher. Sirius' eyes flashed gold. "You've been fucking a girl!" He hissed.

James disentangled himself from Sirius' hands and stepped back, he was slightly flushed but he had a frown on his face as he pushed his glasses further up onto the bridge of his nose. "And? You've been fucking our best friend." He replied tightly.

"Who is it?" Sirius whispered, his voice hoarse as his eyes scanned James and he began spotting other signs of illicit activity. James' shirt was un-tucked, his tie dangling over his shoulders like a crimson and gold snake, his fly was only half done up and revealed the white of his pants. Sirius' sharpened eyes picked up the tiny hint of a wet stain on his trousers, undetectable to anyone else.

James straightened his shoulders in defiance of Sirius' accusatory tone. "Why does it matter?" He asked angrily.

Sirius opened his mouth, prepared to say; you're my boyfriend! Then realised that it was no longer true. Slowly he deflated, his shoulders slumped and he turned away. "Yeah, you're right…of course it doesn't matter…" He muttered and stared at Remus who lay tangled in the duvet of his bed. "Was…was she good…?" He heard himself ask, he didn't really want to know the answer.

"I-I…well, yeah…I guess…" James replied nervously.

Sirius swallowed the hard lump in his throat, his mouth twisted in a grimace and he was glad James couldn't see how wet his eyes were. "I-I…I've fucked everything up…" He whispered, struggling to breathe as he attempted to suppress the pain. "It was…always 'sposed to be you an' me…" His voice cracked and he shuddered, slowly his head dropped so hair obscured his face. "I never…I never wanted this, Jamie."

James ran a hand through his messy hair and turned his eyes away from Sirius, the emotion in his voice made him highly uncomfortable. "Yeah…I know…"

Sirius cleared his throat and slowly lifted his head, after a few deep, calming breaths he turned to face his ex-boyfriend. "We're…still friends, right?" He asked nervously.

"'Course we are, Padfoot and Prongs, together forever." James replied, smiling slightly as he locked eyes with Sirius.

Sirius managed a weak smile, "Yeah, I was being stupid." Never had words sounded or felt more painful.

~XXX~

Sirius yawned for the billionth time that day, he curled up in his chair by the fire and let his head drop to his shoulder. He had never felt so tired, his muscles ached, his bones felt as if he had full body arthritis and his mind was sluggish. It was lunch time and he had just eaten a rare steak and nothing else, he had been craving meat, as raw as he could get it and the bloodier the better. Unfortunately students would get very upset and suspicious if they saw Sirius munching on a freshly killed stag so he had to make do with steak from the kitchens. Now he was rapidly falling asleep and the fact that Remus was sat beside him with one hand tangled in his hair was not helping, the soothing movements of his fingers at the base of his neck were relaxing him a little too much.

"Sirius, we've got Arithmancy." Remus muttered softly, hot breath brushing Sirius' ear and making a pleasant shiver run down his spine.

"Nn…Don't wanna go." Sirius mumbled, burying his head in Remus' throat and beginning to bite at the soft, delicious flesh he found beneath his lips. He had his eyes shut and was moving on instinct, he was hardly even awake. "Mm." He hummed, the sound coming out more as a low rumble from deep within his chest.

"Come on, Padfoot, get up." Remus muttered, trying to force away his rapidly growing erection. "We have lessons."

"Lessons?" Slowly Sirius lifted his head up, it looked as if it was a struggle. He blinked slowly at Remus through hazy eyes, his pupils were so wide they gave the impression that Sirius' eyes had turned black. "'m Sleepy though, Moony…" He muttered softly, his eyes half closing and another yawn tearing itself from his jaws. Remus noted the odd fact that his canine teeth looked suspiciously longer than they should have been.

Remus yawned too, unable to help himself. He was also feeling the terrible draining effects of the approaching full moon but perhaps because he was used to it, he didn't seem to be quite as exhausted as Sirius was. He slowly lifted a hand and flicked hair from Sirius' eyes, he could see the lids already drooping again and Sirius' head was dropping slightly. "Alright, we'll go to the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey can help us."

Slowly Sirius nodded, too tired to do anything but allow Remus to pull him to his feet and help him out of the Gryffindor common room. They began walking the corridors, avoiding students who were running too their next lessons, Sirius stumbled so Remus had to hold him upright. The walk seemed to take forever but finally they reached the top of the marble staircase, at the bottom were a group of fourth year Slytherins. Remus paused and felt Sirius shift at his side, he glanced at him and saw him staring down the stairs intently.

"Oi, Reg, look who it is." One of the boys muttered, nudging Regulus Black in the side so the boy turned to look up. "It's the Bloodtraitor."

"Shut up Rosier." Regulus muttered absently, he eyed his brother warily wearing a haughty expression that Remus knew only too well, it was one he saw many times on Sirius' own face. "What's wrong with him?" Regulus asked Remus, his voice remained casual but Remus could see the concern in his grey eyes.

"He's ill." Remus replied, trying to keep his face neutral.

"Reg, what're you doing here?" Sirius asked, blinking owlishly in the bright sunlight that splashed across the hall.

"Professor Harper's ill, Defence is cancelled." Regulus replied, his eyes scanning his brothers face intently. "What's wrong with you? Does mother know you're sick? She will be worried."

Sirius shook his head rapidly. "Just flu…I'll be fine. Don't bother telling her."

"Alright…" Regulus agreed reluctantly. "If that's all it is then I suppose it doesn't matter, I'll see you later." Regulus began walking away, followed by his little gang of Slytherins, then, suddenly he turned. "Oh, mum said she wants to talk to you…why can't you just send her an owl once in a while?"

Sirius managed, somehow, to sneer. "She wants to find another reason to have a go. No, I'm not going to send her any Owls. She'll have plenty to shout at me about in good time, I don't need her shit now."

Regulus looked affronted but, after glowering furiously at his brother, he turned in a swirl of black robes and stalked back towards the dungeons.

~XXX~

That evening Sirius was woken up by someone shaking him firmly, he groaned heavily and tried to roll away from that insistent hand. "Mr. Black, it's time." The voice belonged to Madam Pomfrey. Slowly Sirius let his eyes open, he was surrounded by early dusk, that odd purple light filled the room and lamps were being lit along both walls. He struggled to sit up, wincing as a bolt of agony tore down his spine, Pomfrey handed him a glass of water and a cloak. "Drink up and wrap up warm, we have to get you down to the shack as soon as possible so you can get settled."

Sirius nodded, he had never felt so tired and achy before. He downed the water and pulled the cloak on over his pyjama's, it would be pointless changing as he would only be removing his clothes later. He heard Pomfrey waking up Remus who growled softly before sitting up, their eyes met and Sirius felt a thrill of excitement shoot down his spin and push a lance of liquid fire right into his groin. He bit down hard on his bottom lip to stifle any potential noises.

With their slippered feet barley making a sound on the cold stone floor the three of them slipped out of the castle and into the cold evening air, Sirius' eyes automatically went to the sky but apart from the odd star and cloud floating lazily overhead it was empty. He shivered and pulled the cloak tighter around his shoulders, he could feel the first pulse of true fear making his skin tingle and his mouth dry. He didn't know what was going to happen to him, would it be as bad as Remus said? Would he remember that agony? Would he lose his mind as so many others had? He shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut briefly and when he reopened them they were stood before the Whomping Willow.


	9. Lycan

_AN: Ok, a smutty chapter now. :D We luff da smuts! Lol. I have detailed their first change but don't worry I won't be doing it every time they change, it would get boring, lol. If you're wondering why Sirius is scared well, wouldn't you be? And yes, he does cry in this one and I know people get annoyed with that but for gods sake he's only just sixteen and men are far from emotionless! Give the poor kid a break! Lol. Anyways, please enjoy, I despise writing stuff that has no emotion in it, because reality is NOT emotionless. :) Any comments are most welcome, thank you._

**Chapter Eight: Lycan**

Sirius shivered, it was colder than cold as he sat naked and vulnerable on the splintery wooden floor of the shack. Remus was folding up his pyjama bottoms and hiding them away for tomorrow, he turned and smiled weakly at his mate. "Now all we have to do is wait for moon rise." He said and sat down at Sirius' side, his knees pulled into his chest and his arm resting across them. There was silence for a while as the sky outside darkened to an inky black, a few lone stars peeked in on the two boys briefly before being covered by cloud.

Finally Sirius spoke, his voice rough and much weaker than he would have liked. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Wait for it to happen…just sit here so calmly and wait?"

Remus considered as he stared out the window. "I don't know, I suppose I'm just used to it."

Sirius nodded and buried his face in his knees, he wrapped his arms over his head and shivered as the frozen air caressed his bare skin. "I'm…I'm fucking terrified, Moony." He whispered, feeling a powerful upsurge of terror and shame as the words escaped his numb lips, he stifled a sob of desperation as it tried to escape him and it turned into an odd hiccoughing noise.

Remus' eyes softened and he slowly reached out, his fingers brushed the back of Sirius' neck and watched his friends shoulders tense as he curled up into a tighter ball. "I-I…I'm so sorry, Sirius." He said quietly, afraid of what Sirius might do to him if he pushed too hard. "Really, you don't know just how sorry I am."

Sirius shook his head rapidly from side to side, his shoulders still tense and shaking. "N-Not you're f-fault…" He managed as he scrunched his eyes up, he could feel the burn of tears and hid his face deeper into his own knees so Remus wouldn't see.

Remus froze, it took him a moment to realise that Sirius was actually crying. The revelation made his stomach twist with guilt and sympathy, he understood. He understood better than anyone else in the world. "It's going to be alright Sirius, I promise you. We're going to be alright."

Slowly Sirius extended a shaking hand and Remus took it, he noted the damp skin but ignored it knowing Sirius would be furious with him if he mentioned this weakness. He gripped Sirius' hand tightly in his own and suppressed his own terror, it was much easier than usual with Sirius' hand gripped in his own. It was comforting to know that for once, he wouldn't be alone during a change. "Don't let go." Sirius whispered, his voice muffled by his own flesh.

"Never." Remus replied and gazed out the window as the moon rose above the horizon to stain the sky with a soft silver halo. "I'll never let you go Sirius." As he spoke his voice broke and he gritted his teeth as a thin sliver of moonlight began to creep across the floor towards them, his toes curled and he threw his head back, eyes shut tightly. He felt Sirius go rigid by his side but their hands never released each other even as Remus was thrown forward onto his hand and knees, his breathing became ragged as he panted through the agony washing through his body.

"Fuck!" Sirius cried as he too fell forward, his face was screwed up in pain, his scars standing out livid against his white skin.

Without thought Remus dragged Sirius up so they faced each other, he grabbed a handful of his hair in his free hand and kissed him. Their tongues tangled between their open lips as wave after wave of pain tore at them, their muscles crawled beneath their skin, Remus could feel every organ rearranging itself. His fingers tightened in Sirius' thick, dark hair and he bit down hard on his lip, blood filled his mouth and he heard Sirius moan. They drew away after a moment as loud snapping noises filled the room, the noise of bones shattering and re-growing at an alarming rate…Sirius screamed and clutched at his chest. It wasn't long before Remus too was screaming for all he was worth, his nails gouged lines into the floor boards, his body convulsed violently and threatened to rip his hand free of Sirius'. He forced his eyes open and stared at Sirius who was now sprouting pitch black fur all over his elongating body, it was a grotesque sight but it was also morbidly fascinating. He felt his fingers snapping and reforming, the writhing, pulsing flesh forced him to finally release Sirius' hand and they both ended up on the floor, their screams rent the quiet night air before suddenly turning into long, drawn out howls.

~XXX~

Slowly his eyes opened, they were assaulted by bright, agonising light and he groaned heavily and tried to roll away from it. He felt pain in every part of his body as if it had been asleep with him and was only now waking up, swearing in a voice hoarse from screaming Sirius finally forced his eyes open. It took him a moment to focus and when he had he found he was staring into a pair of soft, golden brown eyes. "R-Remus…?" he muttered and pushed a shaking hand into his hair.

"Yeah." Remus replied just as hoarsely, he smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been run over by a stampede of angry Hippogriffs." Sirius replied, stretching slightly. He winced as pain lanced down his side, he put his hand on his ribs gingerly and when he drew them away they were bloody. "Bollocks." He hissed.

Remus pulled down the duvet of the bed they were sleeping in and gazed at the long, bloody scratches trailing down Sirius' side. "I'm sorry." He muttered and automatically bent his head, slowly, gently he ran his tongue over the wounds and felt Sirius shudder and moan. "Pomfrey will get them healed."

"But they'll scar." Sirius replied blankly, his eyes were still ringed in amber and the effect, to Remus, was beautiful.

"It doesn't matter, you'll always be beautiful."

Sirius' mouth twisted bitterly. "Yeah, right. I've seen older werewolves Remus, they get old before their time…their life spans are half that of a normal Wizard, don't treat me like I'm stupid."

Remus sighed and closed his eyes, he rubbed at them absently before dragging Sirius into a warm embrace. "We're in this together now, Padfoot."

Sirius closed his eyes and nodded against Remus' shoulder. "Yeah, together…" He muttered and began nipping at his throat, a low, wolfish growl emanated from deep within his chest as he grabbed Remus' wrist tightly. "Claim me, Remus." He muttered roughly, laving his tongue over his collar bone. "Make sure this is forever, never let me go." Remus moaned, a flood of sensations racing through his already burning nerves. "We've fucked in wolf form and human form now…I'm so horny!"

"Oh Merlin…S-Sirius…" Remus gasped as Sirius pushed their hips together, he began an enticing rocking movement that sent pleasure searing Remus' battered spine. He wrapped his hand around both of their erections before closing his mouth over his mates, he rolled them both over so he was lying on top of Sirius and kissing him for all he was worth. His hand worked their shafts and was shortly joined by Sirius' own, their pace became frantic, their kiss sloppy and Sirius' nails dug into the back of Remus' neck. They swallowed each other's moans and ignored the odd flash of pain that still attacked their nervous systems, nothing mattered except that they both cum.

They were dirty, covered in sweat and dust but neither cared all that much, Sirius opened his legs and let Remus settle between them as they released their cocks. Remus pulled away from Sirius' lips long enough to push two fingers inside his body before gazing into Sirius' white, blood smeared face.

"E-Enough…don't care if it hurts…j-just fuck me already." Sirius gasped, his back arching off the bed. He grabbed Remus' wrist and pulled his fingers free before lifting himself up onto his elbows and fixing his mate with a dark, lusty stare. Slowly, ever so slowly, he licked his lips. "Hurry." Remus hastened to oblige and he gently lined his erection up with Sirius' body, he took one look into those glittering eyes and pushed himself inside. Sirius' fingers tightened on the sheets, he bared his teeth as a burning sensation stole through his lower body. "Ah Fuck!" He gasped and fell back to the dusty old pillows.

"Sorry…" Remus panted, leaning down to kiss Sirius' jaw, he ran his tongue over soft skin and felt Sirius' body slowly begin to relax again. He pulled his hips backwards and pushed in again, this time getting further. "I-Is this…is this ok?"

Sirius moaned, his lips parting as he tipped his head back. He ran both hands down Remus' sides, exploring his scarred torso. "Yeah, it's good…keep going…I want you, I need you buried deep inside me." He growled, his eyes snapping open as Remus moved. "Hn…yes…!"

Their activities soon devolved into a desperate mess of heaving flesh, gasping breaths and tangled limbs. Sirius's body was hot beneath Remus', he was a writhing mass of teeth, skin, nails, hair and haunting, flashing golden eyes. They growled, bit and moved together like beasts, Sirius drew Remus deeper using his legs, his back arched dramatically and he hissed swear words and cried his passion to the empty room. His finger nails gouged deep lines down Remus' spine and sent scolding heat roiling down to his groin, his skin was fire, his blood pounded in his ears as he reached an intense, blinding orgasm. He felt Sirius jerk beneath him as hot white cum was pumped between their sweaty bodies, finally both collapsed panting heavily. "Fuck…w-wow…" Remus gasped, after he had recovered enough to peel himself off of his mate. Sirius almost purred as he stretched languidly out on the bed and smiled lazily at him.

"That was fantastic." He drawled and pushed hands through his hair. "We should clean up though, wouldn't want Pomfrey coming in to see me covered in cum." He smirked and Remus chuckled.

~XXX~

They spent the next day in the Hospital Wing under the stern eye of the Matron, she busied around taking diagnostic checks of Sirius and nodding approvingly. She had healed his wounds and now he had more thick, ropy scars to add to his collection, he didn't mind too much as they would be hidden under robes but if he had to remove his clothes he didn't think he would feel comfortable naked any longer. Remus only had the scratches on his neck and down his back that attested to their morning activities, for once he didn't mind scars, at least these reminded him of something good. He smiled to himself when they refused to heal further than thin silvery lines, he could live with them knowing who had made them. He smiled to himself as he thought back on their sweaty activities early that morning, he wanted to make Sirius make those noises again and again, he was convinced that they would sound wonderful no matter how long her heard them for. He wished he could bottle the feeling of warm joy that was filling his stomach, he wanted to hold onto it forever and never let it go. He had never considered having a life time mate before, but now his life was impossible to imagine without Sirius by his side. This time, his emotions were not those of the wolf, he knew that glow of satisfaction, of affection and adoration all belonged to him…he was falling in love with his best friend.

Sirius yawned as he lay in the Hospital Wing bed, he stretched and felt his bones creak. With a heavy sigh he relaxed and stared at the bed that held Remus, he smiled to himself; he liked fucking him, it was the one thing he had been so desperate to discover but had always been denied. He had wanted his first time to be with James but he supposed that would never have happened, he sighed and closed his eyes as his smile widened. He knew what Remus' face looked like in the height of passion, he was adorable with red cheeks and hair in disarray. However he longed to be able to gaze up into James' face, he longed to be able to see what James would look like as he fucked him into the mattress. He bit down on his lower lip as he imagined the scenario, James with that silly messy hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, his lips parted as they formed Sirius' name, the feel of that gorgeous hard cock buried inside his body. "Oh _yes_…" Sirius whispered and turned his face into the pillow, he grinned to himself suddenly glad that no one in the room could use Legillimency.

Remus stared up at the ceiling, an odd yet familiar scent brought him out of his reverie. He took a deep breath through his nose and sat up, his eyes flashed as he picked up the heady scent of Sirius' arousal. The wolf inside him growled in pleasure and he felt his cock stirring yet again inside his pyjama bottoms. The soft sounds of someone masturbating reached his sensitive ears, he cocked his head to the side curiously. He could hear rapid breathing kept in check in a pillow, quick movements of hand and hips, soft, breathy moans and then abruptly the room was flooded with Pheromones, Remus groaned heavily as his hips jerked slightly. He could smell the intoxicating scent of his mate's semen and sweat, he licked his lips and then heard something that made his whole body cold;

_James..._

~XXX~

_We have a rival, Human. _The wolf whispered deep in Remus' subconscious. _We must remove all obstacles; we must ensure that our mate truly belongs to us. You did not complete the ritual properly!_

Remus watched Sirius sitting by James' side, his head rested upon his shoulder as he read the newspaper with him. They were laughing occasionally, Sirius' was particularly loud, his flirting was obvious even to the vast majority of first years, he was being reckless. Remus shifted in his seat, gaining the attention of Peter who was trying to play chess with him. "Moony, it's your turn now." Peter said, Remus didn't move. He didn't tear his eyes away from Sirius; he was now leaning down and muttering something into James' ear, making him flush and shiver.

_Something went wrong, Human. You must have done something wrong…give me your memories so I may see…_

"Moony?! Hey, it's your move!" Peter tugged on Remus' robes, still getting no reaction. Sirius laughed again, throwing his head back to reveal the pale column of his throat, James' eyes lingered on it and slowly moved to the spot where his shirt fell open to reveal a tantalising hint of collar bone.

_Fool! _The wolf growled furiously. _You have consummated the pact but I told you, for him to truly become ours in both mind, body and soul you must dominate him! You must shatter his will and ensure we become all that he ever wants or needs! To truly own him we must force him to submit to us!_

Remus' hands tightened on the arms of the chair, his lip peeled back from his teeth and he gave voice to a low, intimidating growl. Peter gazed at his friend, his eyes wide as he saw how his eyes had turned wolfish amber. Peter slowly moved away but the movement caught Remus' attention, he jerked and shook his head slightly, blinking as if he was coming out of a day dream. "Oh, sorry about that Peter…was it my go did you say?"

Peter opened his mouth but decided against saying anything, he supposed being friends with a werewolf would involve some weirdness, so he nodded and watched Remus contemplate his next move. Over in the other chair James was now running a hand slowly up Sirius' thigh, their eyes locked intensely.


	10. Beast

AN: Hi thar! :D I am back again with another chapter, this is just detailing how I think the whole Werewolf Registration thing would go…not very interesting but I think it's important. Enjoy and please Review, I love your thoughts, thank you to those who have reviewed already. :)

**Chapter Nine: Beast**

The sound of chatter filled the air as students began to stand and pack away their things, it was lunch time and they had just had their Transfiguration lesson. Sirius talked happily as he stuffed his books back into his bag and swung it over his shoulder, James laughed loudly at something he said and put his arm around his shoulders. The behaviour wasn't abnormal, after all, they were always close, they had been since they had been in first year. Remus sighed softly, trying to quash the raging jealousy of the wolf inside him, he didn't want to come between Sirius and James, he despised the feelings the sight of the two conjured and tried to hide them but each day it was becoming harder. They began to file out the classroom when McGonagall called out. "Mr. Black, a word please." She said imperiously, Sirius looked guilty, he tried desperately back over the past week or so to remember what he had done to deserve being held back in class, but he couldn't think of anything. He turned to James who looked just as bewildered before shrugging and walking up to the professor's desk, James lingered by the door with Remus and Peter. "You three can go down to lunch, I wish to have a private word with Black."

That sounded horribly ominous. Sirius shot his friends a slightly desperate look but they merely shook their heads sadly and traipsed out of the room as if mourning a fallen comrade. Fat lot of good you are, Sirius thought irritably before turning his eyes to his teacher. She gazed down her nose at him, her face unreadable, finally Sirius panicked in the tense silence. "I didn't do it, Professor!" He said and saw McGonagall's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"And what, may I ask, did you not do Mr. Black?" She asked slowly, eyeing Sirius as if he was going to admit to blowing up Hogsmeade.

"I-I…I-er…Sorry, I thought I was in trouble for something, Professor."

Her face relaxed and she shook her head. "No, you are not in trouble this time. No. I held you back to tell you that the Headmaster has asked for your presence in his office, you have the rest of the day off as there is much to be done in regards to the…_accident_." She lay delicate stress upon the last word to ensure he got her meaning, when he did he went a little pale.

"Er…w-what does that mean?"

"You must meet with some Ministry officials this afternoon to sign some paper work and I must inform you that we have been forced to notify your parents."

Sirius blanched visibly, his face draining of the rest of its colour as he sat down abruptly on the nearest desk. "Oh." He said in a tiny voice. "I-I see…" He swallowed and frowned slightly as he stared out of the window.

"Your parents have been asked to attend the meeting, as you are under seventeen you need to have a guardian present when you register with the Ministry. Mr. Black, there is nothing to fear, all they will do is talk to you, explain their regulations and get you to sign a few bits of paper. You will be fine, I am sure of it." Her tone was softer than Sirius had ever heard it and she gave him a swift smile before she stood and began gathering papers. "You may go now, Black, and the password for the Heads office is 'Pumpkin Fizz'."

Sirius nodded and thanked her in a blank sort of voice as he turned around and left the room, he walked on legs that felt as if they had been filled with lead, his head was aswim with the many varying scenario's involving his parent's hatred towards 'half-breeds' and anything that was not pure-Wizard. He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued onwards towards the Headmaster's office, it was slow going, his feet dragged on the floor as if it were made of sticky mud. Finally though he reached the gargoyle sitting outside the office, he had to swallow a few hundred times before finally croaking the password. It jumped aside and with a deep, shuddery breath Sirius took the final step towards what he was convinced was his doom.

It took him another long minute before he had gathered the courage to knock on the door, his hand was ridiculously heavy. "Come in." Came Dumbledore's voice through the thick wood, Sirius straightened his shoulders and blew out the air he was holding in his lungs. The least he could do is go down with dignity. He pushed open the door to reveal a room full of people, Dumbledore smiled at him as he approached the desk, he was the only one who did. Two unknown men stood by the desk holding important looking briefcases, they both had identical moustaches and identical looks of mixed disdain and boredom on their faces. The other two people in the room were Walburga and Orion Black, Sirius' parents. Sirius avoided looking at them as he sat down in the only available seat at the Headmaster's bequest. "Welcome, Sirius, I hope you have had a productive day so far." Sirius nodded jerkily, his eyes flicking to the Ministry men. "Very well, down to business. As I am sure you are aware, these two gentlemen are from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Beast Division. This is Mr. Bartlebee," Dumbledore indicated a man with a mole on his chin who nodded briefly. "And this is Mr. Dunber. They are here to ensure you register your name with the Werewolf registry office, it is a simple matter of signing your name on several pieces of Parchment, nothing to worry about. They will also explain the rules and regulations controlling a Werewolves movements, there are certain things you are prohibited from doing, do you understand?" Once again Sirius nodded, he felt slightly light headed as if this was all a horrible dream. "Very well then, I shall hand you over to Mr. Bartlebee." Dumbledore sat back and looked politely at the man with the mole.

"Mr. Black, we have been informed that on the night of the eighteenth of December you were bitten by the Werewolf Remus John Lupin, is this correct?" Sirius nodded and the man gazed back at his papers, he shuffled them. "And was this done beneath the influence of a Blue Moon?" Again Sirius nodded, but he was slightly more reluctant to do so. "And you understand the ramifications of such an act?"

"Y-Yeah…" Sirius muttered and lowered his eyes, he heard more shuffling and felt the eyes of both his parents boring into him.

"May I interrupt, Mr. Bartlebee?" Walburga asked suddenly.

"Indeed you may, Madam."

"I wish to know what the significance is of a blue moon?"

"Ah, well, you see a werewolf under the influence of a blue moon is given the desire to find a mate. He will subdue his chosen mate in whatever way he can before consummating the pact in beast form, this will be done on the very night the moon is blue. Then the mated pair must mate again in human form, if this is not done then the victim will go insane when they first change. The Ministry keeps this fact a secret, it is rare for it to happen as most Werewolves will keep themselves to themselves during a full moon but occasionally accidents happen."

Sirius stiffened as he felt his mother's eyes on him. "And this…Lupin, is he mated with my son?"

"Indeed he is, Madam."

"But that is preposterous!" Orion blustered suddenly. "My son has many faults, sir, but he is still a male! How can a male wolf choose a male mate?"

"It is indeed a rare occurrence, even rarer than the Mate bond. You see, normally a werewolf's only desire is to re-produce and obviously they cannot do that with a male mate, but occasionally a wolf will choose someone of the same sex, we still do not understand why this is so."

Orion fell silent and sent his son a heated glare, Sirius dipped his head and hid behind his hair. He felt heat colouring his cheeks, his parents still had no idea he was gay, he had planned on dying before they found out but now he was certain his secret would get out.

"Anyway, back to the matter at hand. There are certain rules one must adhere to now, Mr. Black, I shall read them to you and you must sign the paper to show you have understood." Mr. Dunber said, his voice was soft, oddly feminine and startled Sirius into looking up. "During the full moon the werewolf must keep him/herself away from all humans, they must place the safety of humanity before their own. Secondly a Werewolf must take every possible precaution during a full moon to ensure the safety of innocents. Thirdly, a werewolf must alert every potential employer of their affliction or face punishment…" Mr. Dunber droned on for a while before holding out the papers to Sirius. "Sign on the dotted line, we will need your full name."

Sirius drew out his quill from his bag and signed the papers in a shaking hand, they were ripped from him and more were shoved beneath his nose. "These are the registry forms, we need your full name, current address, bloodstatus, name of your mate, wand core, wood and length and your signature."

Sirius bent his head over the paper and wrote his full name, his hand shook a little so his 'S' was wobbly, he could feel eyes burning into the back of his head and it made him nervous. When he was done he felt the tips of his fingers tingle as the ink shone a soft gold before fading back to black. The papers were taken from him with the same abruptness as the others. He was forced to sign document after document, much of it was simply the same information repeated over and over until his fingers had gone numb and he had a black ink stain on his thumb. Finally they were done and the Ministry members stood, they left with a simple goodbye and left Sirius with his parents and the Headmaster. Albus smiled at Sirius and folded his hands on top of the desk. "Now then, does anyone have any questions?"

Walburga stiffened slightly and Orion put a heavy hand upon Sirius' shoulder. "We wish to speak to our son in private, if you please, Headmaster."

"Very well then, you are welcome to use my office." Dumbledore stood and bowed gracefully before exiting the room. Sirius watched him go with dread sitting heavily in his chest.

There was an odd, heavy silence for a moment before Walburga spoke. "So, you have once again brought shame upon this family." She said stiffly, she sounded like she was holding back tears.

"But this time there is nothing that can erase it." Orion growled. "What on earth were you thinking, boy?!"

"Wha-?" Sirius' eyes widened. "You think I deliberately-? That's ridiculous! That's just-I can't even…" He shook his head unable to express his shock.

"I cannot even express the complete shock and horror we feel about what you have done, this time there is no going back." Orion drew himself up to his full and considerable height. "When this summer ends, we want you gone from our house."

"We do not want an abomination staining our great and noble house." Walburga sniffed, she had a silk hanky in her hands and she was dabbing her eyes. Sirius felt as if he had been winded, he open and closed his mouth repeatedly as he tried to assimilate the situation. "You have shamed us beyond redemption."

"We have had our lawyers draw up some paper work and soon you will be disinherited, you will receive nothing from us when we pass on. We expect you to sign them quickly when you receive them and send them back to us. You cannot refuse, you have no choice. You will no longer belong to the ancient and noble house of Black, you will no longer be our son. All the privileges of our good name shall be revoked from you, you will no longer be our heir and we will expect you to never, ever set foot upon any Black property ever again. You will be homeless and penniless, it is something that is long deserved and nothing less would do for a filthy half-breed like you."

Sirius' heart beat hard in his chest, he gazed at his parents and felt his whole body going cold. "I-I…I'm…being disinherited?" he croaked slowly, blinking away an odd fog that seemed to have descended over his vision. "All because I…because of an accident? I don't quite…I'm…this is…I don't quite…" He stuttered himself into silence again, utterly confused and in such a deep state of shock that he took the paper his father shoved at him automatically.

"We are disowning you legally and for good, this is an official statement of intent soon to be followed by a letter from our lawyers. We expect you to some to collect all your things when School ends and then you are on your own."

"We have only one son, one who is a good boy and will not be a constant disappointment." Walburga said as she stood up and went to her husband's side. "A son who will be able and willing to produce heirs." She looked at him in disgust and Sirius felt the bottom of his stomach drop out of him, he gripped the parchment in his hand as his parents moved to the door.

He stood up suddenly. "Mum…D-Dad…You can't do this!" He said quietly, his eyes wide in his pale face. "I-I have nowhere else to go! How am I supposed to eat? To live? I'm not even of age yet! I can't even use magic outside school!"

"What you do is of little consequence to us, for all we care you can die in a gutter somewhere. From this moment on we want nothing to do with you." Orion turned his back on Sirius and opened the door, Walburga paused and looked back at him.

"I would advise you not to speak to Regulus, he is no longer your brother and will want nothing to do with filth like you." She followed her husband out the door and it swung shut behind them.

Sirius stood still for a long moment, the only sounds were the soft snores of the portraits lining the walls, then a snide and familiar voice reached him. "As suspected, a filthy bloodtraitor all along, who knew our great family could produce such terrible creatures? A good thing Walburga has some sense."

Sirius blinked up at Phineas for a moment before striding to the door and wrenching it open, he broke into a run as soon as he reached the bottom of the staircase outside the office. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him until he found an empty class room, he flung open the door and ran inside, slamming it shut behind him and leaning against it. He was panting heavily, hair tangled around his face as his knees gave way and he sank slowly to the floor, for a moment he gazed into the dim shadows of the room until a burst of horrible, humourless laughter escaped his lips. He threw his head back and laughed so hard he nearly made himself sick, he fell onto his hands and knees as more terrified laughter bubbled up from his chest. He began to gasp and his chest hitched slightly as it finally hit him, he felt panic burst in his stomach like a cold flower. Terror tore through him and he began shaking slightly. He was being disowned. He was being forced out of his family. He despised his family, he always had done. He should be feeling elated, he should have been jumping through the halls whooping in delight but it wasn't quite how he had imagined it would be. Instead of elation he only felt cold, empty and very, very young. He didn't have any idea how to survive on his own, all his life he had everything handed to him on a silver platter (literally), Kreacher cooked his food, cleaned his room, even ran him baths when he was ordered too. Sirius had no idea how to make tea, let alone cook his own meals. Freedom, which had seemed so much like a golden tinted dream when he had been trapped now felt like a death sentence. He lowered his head and crumpled the parchment letter in one sweaty hand, he closed his eyes tightly and attempted to control his blind panic. He had never felt so vulnerable and so very small before.


	11. Homeless

AN: Hi there! :) I would just like to note that in this chapter Sirius is being very overly dramatic, but please remember he is a teenager. Teenagers ARE overly dramatic and 'Woe is me'! Lol. They do an excellent line in 'the world hates me!' too, so that is why Sirius is acting like that. He is also a bit of a spoilt brat in some ways, he has never really had to do anything for himself and the prospect of doing so scares him. So, he acts out in fear not because he hates his friends. Hope you enjoy and as usual I would like any reviews or comments on how you think this story is progressing! Enjoy!

**Chapter Ten: Homeless**

"Sirius, what happened? Are you in trouble?" James stood up from where had been sat in one of the better comfy chairs by the fire, Remus and Peter followed him as he moved towards his best friend who was standing by the portrait hole.

"No, it's fine. I…I'm going to get an early night…" Sirius muttered in an oddly blank voice before he turned towards the dorm stairs.

"Whoa, wait up Pads." James grabbed the back of Sirius' robes and dragged him back to the group. "What's going on? Why do you look like you've been to hell and back?"

Sirius shrugged listlessly, his eyes roving absently around the room. "Just…personal stuff, don't worry yourself Prongs, I'm fine." He turned and walked away from his friends, Remus frowned slightly as he stared at Sirius' back, he could sense the swirling emotions surrounding his mate and couldn't stop himself from following Sirius up the stairs. He found Sirius lying on his bed and reading a rather battered bit of parchment, as the door opened Sirius stuffed it into his pocket before rolling onto his side. "What do you want?" Sirius asked slowly.

"You're upset about something." Remus said simply, he moved to the bed and sat down at his lover's side. "Talk to me, Sirius, maybe I can help."

Sirius laughed bitterly. "No one can help me now." He hissed and sat up right, he glared with sudden anger at Remus whose eyes went wide with surprise. "I've just spent the whole afternoon in Dumbledore's office signing papers, all because I'm now no longer considered human! They made me sign away my freedom so they can watch me, I'll never have a normal life now! I'll never be able to be normal…And it's _your_ fault!"

There was silence at that statement, Sirius seemed to have realised what he had said and he bit down on his bottom lip. "I see…" Remus said quietly, he smiled weakly. "Yes, Sirius, it is all my fault. I'm sorry. I'll leave you to it." He stood and made his way out of the room.

"Remus, wait! I didn't mean-" The door slammed shut, cutting Sirius off. He sighed heavily and slumped back onto the bed, "Shit."

James stood when Remus entered the common room, he was headed for the portrait hole so James dashed to his side and grabbed his robes before he could crawl through. "Is he alright?" He asked a little desperately.

Remus lowered his head. "No, maybe you should speak to him." He said in a soft voice before pulling himself free. "He needs his friends."

James stood perfectly still for a moment and watched helplessly as Remus left, finally he turned and ran up the stairs to the boys dorms. He pushed the door open and found Sirius sprawled elegantly on his bed with both arms over his eyes. "Piss off." He snapped without even looking. "I don't want to talk to anyone at the moment, Prongs."

"How'd you know it was me?" James asked curiously as he walked closer.

"You smell like fresh air, you always smell like fresh air." Sirius mumbled as he rolled onto his side away from James. "And your hair…it smells like oranges."

James chuckled and sat down, Sirius still had his face covered and he was refusing to face him. "What's wrong? Remus just ran out of the common room as if he was being chased by a Manticore."

"Nothing." Sirius replied sulkily. James sighed and lay down beside his friend, he put both arms behind his head and stared up at the canopy of his bed. The silence was comfortable, as it always was between them, even after their forced break up. He waited patiently, Sirius could not be forced into talking, one had to take their time with him or he'd clam up and never speak of it. Then, finally, Sirius rolled over and ended up lying on top of James, they gazed into each other's eyes for a moment. "I told him it was his fault I'm a monster." Sirius said roughly, pushing his head beneath James' chin in a display of dog-like affection, his long, elegant fingers began deftly opening the clasps on James' robes. "And you know what? I was right. It is his fault." Sirius continued, smoothing the flat of his palm down James' chest before yanking his shirt from his trousers. "He bit me. He cursed me. I should hate him for it, I know I should…perhaps I do…I don't know anymore, it's all confusing." He bent his head and pulled off James' tie with his teeth and a soft growl. James looked up at him before capturing his wrists with his hands, he held him still and forced their eyes to meet.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Getting you naked." Sirius replied, trying to get his hands free. "Don't you want me?" As he spoke he rolled his hips into James' and received a satisfying gasp as his reward, James pushed back on instinct. "Mm, there we go. You want it as much as I do."

"S-Siri…Sirius…Stop!" James managed to pulled Sirius off of him and sat up, by now his shirt was hanging from his shoulder while his tie draped his neck. "What's got into you all of a sudden? I thought you and Remus were…you know…mated and bonded."

"We are, does that mean I can't have my cake and eat it?" Sirius replied darkly. "I want you James Potter, I've wanted you for nearly two years, you can't say no now."

"I can and I am." James rolled away from Sirius and slid to the other end of the bed. "We're over, we were over the moment you were bitten. We can't continue like this…Sirius, think what it would do to Remus!"

Sirius cocked his head to one side, "He doesn't want me, the wolf inside him does. They're two different entities, James. All I am is a way for the wolf to cop off, I'm nothing more than a dog toy…do you know how that feels? Do you know how fucking degrading it is to know you lost your virginity to an _animal_?!" Anger tinged Sirius' voice and his face drained of colour. "He fucked me while I was injured and on all fours, he didn't take any notice of how I begged and pleaded with him to stop! He doesn't give a toss who I fuck on the side, so long as he can have me whenever he wants…and you know what makes it worse?" James couldn't answer, he watched Sirius with pity in his eyes. "It's made worse by the fact that I actually want it! There's a part of me that isn't me, it's deep inside and it wants to be dominated, it needs to be used and treated like nothing! There's a part of me that agrees with everything Moony does and says! When he touches me I get hard, I can't stop it, it's an automated reaction! I'm a toy! Nothing more! I'll never be my own person around him!" Sirius' face was screwed up with anger and resentment, emotions he had been keeping locked away so he didn't hurt Remus, but now it all spilled forth like puss from an infected wound. "He will forever control me, all he has to do is say; Sit! And I will, like the good fucking Dog I am! Jamie, Remus just has to tell me to strip and get down on all fours and I will. He'd just have to order me and I'd sit on his cock with no questions asked. And what does it matter to the wolf what I feel? He doesn't care about anything except his own satisfaction! NO ONE GIVES A FUCK ABOUT WHAT _I _WANT!" He screamed the last, the fury radiated from him in waves and the water jug smashed into a thousand tiny shards as water cascaded over the worn carpet. Neither boy paid it any heed.

After a moment James pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "I do." He said quietly, almost too quietly to hear. Sirius looked at him as if he was trying to see if he was lying. "I've always cared about you, Sirius." He spoke with such open honesty that Sirius believed him, his heart clenched in his chest and he shuffled closer.

"Then…why have you never told me you loved me?"

"Because there's never been any need to." James replied, his cheeks going red. He frowned and cleared his throat as he stared at a spot just above Sirius' shoulder. "I mean…I just assumed it was kind of…obvious. I don't let just any old body suck me off in broom cupboards you know."

"That makes me feel real special, thanks Prongs." Sirius muttered with a little dark sarcasm in his tone.

"I didn't mean it like that…I just…oh for Merlin's sake-" James grabbed Sirius by the front of his robes and dragged him into a deep probing kiss that knocked the breath from him, Sirius froze but after a second he lifted both arms and wrapped them firmly around James' shoulders. "Oh fuck." James whispered against Sirius' mouth, he ran his hands down his sides and tried to memorise the way he responded. "Can't you tell how I feel?" He muttered hoarsely as he dragged Sirius into his lap by his hips. "You're an idiot, Padfoot."

"Mm…I am…I'm an idiot…Fuck Jamie, take me already!" Sirius gasped and deepened the kiss once again.

There was a brief scrabble as they fought to remove each other's clothes, Sirius only managed to pull off his trousers and open his shirt before he was kissing James again. Their hips ground against each other, dampening the fabric of their underpants with pre-cum. James gasped and groaned as he held Sirius tightly, his fingers digging into his hips as he pushed upward with his own. The room was filled with their gasping grunts, fingers tangled in hair and Sirius felt James tense in a familiar way. "W-Wait…" He whispered, kissing James' lips a few more times. "Don't cum yet…"

"Why not?" James moaned, rocking his hips against Sirius' and sending bolts of pure pleasure through their bodies.

"I want to do it properly…I want you to cum inside me." Sirius muttered, pulling away enough to see James' face. They stared at each other in silence for a moment before James snorted derisively and pushed Sirius onto his back.

"I'm not gay, Sirius! How many times do we have to go through this?"

Sirius gazed up at him, his hair a tangled mess about his head and his cheeks flushed with sexual arousal. Slowly he frowned. "I'm a guy! You've been kissing me, I've had my mouth around your cock and you've sucked on mine…what's not gay about that?"

James opened and closed his mouth before shaking his head. "It's just not. Everyone knows that doing all those things with a guy is ok, it doesn't mean I'm gay. If we fuck…if we go all the way…then there won't be any going back."

The colour slowly seeped from Sirius' face leaving him as white as a sheet, fury made his eyes sparkle dangerously and he sat upright so suddenly James was thrown off of him. "Fine." Sirius spat. "Why don't you go fuck some girl, then? What are you still doing here? I'm sure Evans is still single, she's got tits. I can't believe I was so taken in by you, all I am is a way for you to get your rocks off with until you find some bimbo to stick your cock in, aren't I? I'm sick of this! I'm tired of always being thrown away like I'm nothing!"

"Siri, I don't mean it like-" James reached for Sirius who slapped his hand away.

"Go fuck yourself, Potter." Sirius hissed, he stood up and put on his trousers. "I thought for a moment that you actually gave a shit…" His voice broke and wavered but he continued in a tone full of venom and pain. "I thought that you, of all people, would still give two damns about me…I can't believe how wrong I was! Merlin…my dad was fucking right! I'm so stupid! I'm no judge of character…I-I can't trust anyone!"

"Sirius! You can trust me!" James said emphatically, he grabbed Sirius' hand but his friend spun around and punched him in the face. He cried out and fell backwards off the bed, after a moment his head reappeared and he was glaring furiously at Sirius. "What the fuck was that for?!"

Sirius' eyes glittered oddly, James could see how damp they were as he stood opposite him breathing hard with his hands clenched into fists. "You work it out. I'm done with this. I'm done with everything!" Without another word he walked out, the door slammed behind him and left a ringing silence behind. After a moment James stood up, he touched his jaw where Sirius' fist had connected with his face and hissed softly through his teeth.

"Git." He muttered darkly, he scanned the bed, looking for his trousers and spotted a crumpled bit of parchment lying innocently on the duvet. James reached for it and pulled it open, he read its contents and the air was ripped from his lungs. He deflated and sank onto the bed. "Shit, Sirius, why didn't you tell me?"

~XXX~

Sirius sat, huddled against the cold on top of the Astronomy tower. He had a cigarette in one hand as he stared blankly up at the sky, every so often he would take a deep drag and blow the smoke from his lungs. The regular movement was somewhat comforting and eased the tension that sat heavily in his gut, he was alone. No one really cared about him, he wandered if they ever had and decided that they probably hadn't. He had no family and now no friends. The world seemed so huge now, as if it were a vast black hole that had opened up beneath his feet and was threatening to swallow him. After school he had nowhere to go, no way of feeding himself, no money, no one to go to. He thought briefly of Andromeda but she had her own family and wouldn't want the burden of another mouth to feed, let alone the burden of a Werewolf. He considered fleeing into the muggle world but knew that he could never stop using magic. Slowly the darkness in his heart engulfed him and he drew his knees tight into his chest and buried his face in them, his breath burned in his throat as tears forced themselves beneath the lids. He screwed up his face tightly, attempting to prevent them from escaping, it did no good.

James didn't love him, all he wanted was physical confirmation and he had been denied. Remus liked him but he doubted love came into it, Remus was, after all, very straight. He had had several girlfriends. Peter…well, Peter was James' creature. He worshiped him. There was no one else Peter really cared about except himself. Then it came to him, like an explosion of bright white light…

"Alphard!" He gasped, he sprang up and tossed his cigarette over the parapet. He wiped the tears away on his sleeve and sniffed slightly before running back down into the castle, he ran through corridors and secret passage ways before finding himself in the Owlry. He sat down on the straw strewn floor and took out some parchment and a battered quill from his pocket, he began writing furiously, his nose inches from the paper.

~XXX~

Remus slid into the Dorm that evening and glanced around, James lay on his bed wearing a dark, brooding frown while Peter sat nervously on his own. "Where's Sirius?" Remus asked as he sat down on his own bed and eyed the only empty one.

"He's in Owlry." James muttered, waving the Map at him vaguely.

"Why?"

"No idea." James sat up suddenly and stared at Remus making him feel uncomfortable. "Did you know?"

"Know what?" Remus' eyes widened slightly at the note of accusation in James' tone.

"That Sirius' family are disowning him!"

Silence. Remus frowned and then everything clicked into place, he understood why Sirius was acting funny, why he was so volatile. "Oh…no, I had no idea!"

"Well, they are. I found this on his bed." James tossed him a bit of battered parchment and Remus opened it carefully.

_Dear Mr. Sirius Orion Black,_

_You are to be made aware that your Parents, Mr Orion Black and Mrs Walburga Black, have petitioned to have you removed from the family. You should expect the correct forms to arrive in approximately three days, these must be signed by you and sent back to us forthwith._

_Respectfully,_

_Drewitt and Drewitt, Wizarding Legal Firm._

"Oh no…" Remus whispered, he felt his chest tighten slightly. "That's terrible! Why would they disown him like this?"

James shook his head slowly and slumped back onto his bed. "It's obvious." He said and glared up at the dark ceiling. "They're doing it because of what he is, because of his problem…"

"Because he's a werewolf." Remus finished. "And…and it's all my fault…"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't read my private letters."

All three friends jumped as Sirius strode into the room and glared at them all. "Why didn't you tell us?" James shot back, standing up and staring Sirius in the eye. "Why didn't you tell us that you had nowhere to go?"

Sirius sneered. "I do have somewhere to go. I'm going to stay with Uncle Alphard, obviously." He said and moved to snatch the parchment from Remus' fingers, when they brushed Sirius felt a familiar tightening in his stomach but ignored it. He sat down on his own bed and began pulling off his clothes. "Alphard'll take me in, I know he will. Fuck what Mum and Dad think, he won't care. He'll look after me 'till I come of age and can get a job, then I'll save up and get my own place. It won't be so bad, how hard can work be?"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "It can be very hard, Sirius. You'd need to know how to do things…"

"I'm not stupid." Sirius snapped. "I can learn whatever I need to, even _cleaning_…" He said the word with disdain and a definite sneer, as if dirtying his hands was the worst thing in the world. He stood and began putting on his pyjama bottoms. "I'd get Alphard to teach me to cook and stuff, I'll be ok. I can learn this stuff no problem. So what if I've had a house elf do everything for me, doesn't mean I can't do it too."

"Well…that…that's good." Remus said softly. "As long as your Uncle will let you stay with him, you won't be alone."

"He'll let me…he has too…" Sirius muttered, his back to his friends and his voice quiet, there was a note of uncertainty but he pushed it aside as he slipped beneath his duvet. James reached over and flicked his wand so the candles went out and plunged the room into darkness. There was silence for a moment before Sirius spoke again. "'m sorry…for…for everything I said. I didn't mean…"

"It's fine." James replied.

Remus remained silent, he stared up at canopy of his bed and remembered the venom in Sirius' voice, no, he had meant every word and Remus couldn't blame him for hating him. He hated himself.


	12. Domination

AN: This chapter is called, 'Domination' but all is not quite as it seems… :D Thank you to the reviews I have so far, even if they are a little strange, they are always appreciated, lol. Thank you and I hope others will find it in their hearts to give me their views on my little story too. :) Enjoy and I hope I am entertaining you.

**Chapter Eleven: Domination**

Sirius waited. Each morning he looked up as the post arrived and searched for his uncle's Barn Owl, but each day he was disappointed. Weeks passed by with no word from the only family member who had ever seemed to care about him, he became withdrawn and quiet and soon avoided spending time with his friends completely. Remus forced himself to leave him alone, he would force his wolfish nature as far down as he could and continue as if everything was normal, even though each night he would lie curled in his bed in abject agony as the wolf tried to dominate his human soul. He knew he could be damaging himself by doing it, but he didn't want to hurt Sirius, lately his feelings for his handsome friend had been changing and he knew that these feelings had nothing to do with the wolf within. He got butterflies each time their eyes met, he felt jealous every time Sirius so much as touched another human being, he wanted to touch him all the time, to be near him, to hold him and try to make all his pain go away. But he couldn't. He was helpless to stop Sirius from falling into brooding darkness, he could only watch as each day Sirius became worse. His anger was seeping through the cracks, everyone avoided him whenever they could. He snapped, he became more and more violent and once James had had to pull him off of Snape to prevent him from breaking his wrist, all because he had made some snide comment about his moodiness. Sirius had turned on James and threatened to give him a bite he'd never forget before storming away and pushing a few second years into the muddy grass in the grounds.

One wet March day Sirius was sitting beneath a tree in the grounds, it was lunch time and everyone was inside, he hoped to escape their stares and hidden whispers. Of course, it hadn't taken much for the story of his parent's decision to kick him out of the family to get around Hogwarts, he had many cousins who found the gossip extremely juicy. Even the Prophet had reported on it, the Black's were an extremely high profile family and any major action they took was in the papers. Still he had not heard back from his Uncle, he had never felt so alone as he sat in the rain with hair clinging to his forehead and water dripping down the neck of his robes. His friends now treated him with a wariness that had not been there before, even Remus had stopped trying to talk to him. He shivered and pulled his cloak around his shoulders, he blinked water from his eyes and sighed heavily.

Remus saw the little figure huddled in the rain and felt his heart ache, he paused as he exited the Great Hall, James looked at him and followed his gaze. His face screwed up suddenly before he released his pent up breath. "Go talk to him, Remus." He said tightly, Remus looked at him and saw how much it was costing him to push the two together. "He won't come to you, he's tearing himself apart with guilt and self hate…Only…only you can understand him now." He closed his eyes and rubbed them with one hand. "Just sort this out, we can't go around like this…it's gunna kill us."

"I really don't think he wants to talk to me…"

"He does, he's just too proud to admit it." James looked him in the eyes and grabbed his shoulders. "I've met his parents, Moony, they're…they're not nice people and that's an understatement." His face twisted again, it was hard for him to be doing this. "You understand what he's going through, you've been subjected to the same ridicule and hatred as well…he needs you. He doesn't…he doesn't need me…and I don't think he ever did."

Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright, James…I-I…I'm so sorry. All this…it's my fault. I caused it…I bit him…I-I…"

"It's in the past, just don't hurt him again. He thinks he's strong but…well…when we were younger I saw him break once…it wasn't pretty. He was staying around my house in third year, he appeared at my door looking like he'd gone ten rounds with a Chimera, he was still smiling but it was like he wasn't really all there. I don't ever want to see him like that again, I thought he'd really try and kill himself. That night he…he was a mess…"

"Ok." Remus said softly, he turned to the doors and walked out into the damp grounds, James watched him go feeling like someone had ripped him in two. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat and clenched his hands into fists at his sides.

"You don't need me, Siri." He whispered and forced himself to walk away.

Sirius smelt him before he saw him, it was a scent that made something inside him growl in satisfaction. It was a scent he associated with safety and comfort but he still remained curled up in his own world of misery, he stared out through damp hair as water dripped into his eyes even as Remus sat at his side and cast a useful little charm that kept the rain from their heads. He didn't meet Sirius' eyes and sat there in silence, together they watched the rain splashing onto the lake. The silence stretched on before Sirius lifted his arms and put them over his head, he closed his eyes and sighed shakily. "What have you done to me?" He whispered softly, there was no hint of anger in his voice, in fact, there was no hint of any emotion except a deep exhaustion.

"I've ruined your life." Remus replied blankly, he looked up at the dark sky and gripped his knees. "When I was little I used to ask my parents why I was like I was, they always told me that I was still me, I was still their little boy…I used to agree with them but only because I hated seeing that look on their faces. They were afraid of me…" He paused and sighed. "I can understand why they are, it's perfectly normal to be afraid of monsters, but when I was younger I never could. I began to become afraid of myself, afraid of hurting loved ones and even strangers. It was the darkest time of my life. When I went out people who knew of my affliction avoided me, sometimes even crossing whole streets when I came by. I was attacked once, my father stopped the boy who did it and sent him home to his parents, the boy's parents did nothing except to say that I deserved it. Now I am inclined to believe them."

Sirius finally looked at his friend, he gazed at the scars peeking out the ends of his sleeves, the silvery lines on his throat and he felt something stir inside him. The emotion was odd, it was one he always associated with James but he let it warm him. "My parents…they told me they didn't want me anymore." He said quietly, his voice oddly childlike. "At least yours love you."

Remus nodded and smiled a little. "There is that. They do care, I know they do but still, at night I sometimes wonder why my father blames himself so much. Surely he had no control over the wolf who bit me? I've always wondered…always wondered why me…" He frowned a little before shaking his head slowly. "I have my suspicions as far as that goes, after all he does work for the Ministry."

"It doesn't matter though, surely?" Sirius said abruptly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, think of it like this; your dad might or might not have had something to do with it but at the end of the day he's still there for you. Your mother still looks after you, they still care about you. That's all that should matter. My parents…well…let's be honest, they've always preferred Reg over me, the little git." He smiled a little wonkily. "My dad is a little heavy with his fists and my mum only ever spits insults at me. I remember once, before I started school, she told me that if I was a Squib she'd have me committed to 's where they'd do loads of experiments on me…had nightmares for weeks about that. Well, to cut a long story short, don't take their love for granted. Sometimes…sometimes when you've never been so much as had a comforting word thrown at you it hardens you, makes you bitter. You're so lucky, Remus."

Remus was silent for a moment before smiling. "I know."

"Look I-I…I want say that I'm so-"

"I know." Remus turns to him, smiling slightly. "You don't need to apologise, Sirius."

Sirius lowered his head and sighed heavily, with one hand he pushed his hair from his face and glared at the grass. "I hate them , Moons." He whispered in a voice rough with emotion. "I hate them all. They've…they've condemned me to a cold, lonely death and I-I…I don't know what to do! How am I supposed to survive? How can I live when I can't cook or-or make tea…I don't even know how to clean stuff properly!"

Gently Remus put a comforting hand on his shoulder, he smoothed the wet fabric and stared at his throat. "You don't have to go through this alone you know."

"But I-" Remus cut Sirius off with a soft, chaste kiss. They stayed very still, the only sounds that of their heart beats and the pitter patter of rain on their magical barrier.

"You have me. You'll always have me." Remus said softly, his eyes closed so he didn't have to look into those sharp, utterly soul destroying eyes. "I'm not going to abandon you."

"Why?" Sirius replied softly, responding slowly to Remus' soft, gentle kisses. "Why wouldn't you abandon me? I'm not worth it. Why would anyone bother with me? I-I tried to push you away…I don't want…mm…you to get involved with me anymore…Remus…" He spoke between kisses, Remus' attempts to get him to be quiet. He reached out and put a hand on his mates chest, holding him off while his eyes scanned his face intently. "Why do you want me?"

"So many reasons, Sirius." Remus replied with a small shrug.

"No…no…I should be asking…why does the wolf want me? It's obvious that you don't, for starters you're straighter than a ruler and we're friends…"

Remus paused, his fingers playing absently with Sirius' hair, he watched them for a moment before sighing softly and closing his eyes. "The wolf wanted you because you understand each other." He said slowly. "You're strong, Sirius, magically powerful, the wolf likes that. He wanted a mate that would compliment him but…but there's one other reason…" His eyes opened and he found himself gazing into moonlight silver. "He could sense my own very confused feelings, they were buried deep but they were there. I've always found you somewhat attractive, your smile, your eyes, your laughter…all of you. The wolf knows this and he chose you because you were the only person we would both have agreed upon."

Sirius digested this, his eyes glued to Remus'. As he watched they began to turn amber at the edges, his breathing began to speed up and their lips slowly closed the distance. "Then…then you really want me? I'm not just a toy? You're not going to…to just throw me away when you get bored?"

"I'd never hurt you, Sirius." Remus replied, helpless against the wolf's howls inside his mind. They froze for a second longer before Remus saw Sirius' eyes change colour, the irises went dark and began glowing softly. Sirius' long fingers found themselves tangled in Remus' hair and he fell backwards onto the rain soaked grass, he swallowed as nerves gnawed at him and frowned a little.

"Y-You…you need me to um…give up everything to you, don't you? I-Isn't this how it works?"

"You don't have to, if you don't want to." Remus replied but his voice was strained, it sounded as if he was in some pain. "I-I have to let him out but…only if we…have sex…I can hold him off long enough for you to walk away."

"And what's going to happen if I do…give up?"

Remus smiled nervously. "I have no idea."

Sirius licked his lips, his eyes darting towards the castle once before he took a deep breath and steeled his courage. "Ok. Alright, let's do this and get it over with. If we're going to it we may as well do it properly. Remus John Lupin, I give myself to you." He let his body relax as much as he could considering he was shivering with cold and nerves.

Remus' eyes flashed and without a second thought he bent his head and captured Sirius' mouth with his own. There was a low, forbidding growl and sharp nails dug into Sirius' sides, he gasped and shuddered but not in pain. "Finally…" The wolf said, using Remus' lips. He lifted his mate's hips up, grinding his own downwards and watching him arch his back as wave after wave of helpless pleasure crashed over him. "Relax and it won't hurt…" The wolf almost purred, he buried his face in Sirius' hair and took a deep breath. "Mm, yes, I chose well. Become mine so that I can become yours, little puppy." Sirius felt cold, frozen fingers tear away the shoulder of his robes and shirt then hot breath caressed the flesh of his shoulder, he shuddered violently as hands grabbed his wrists and pinned him down. Then, with a low rumble of pleasure the wolf bit down hard on the bite mark in Sirius' shoulder. It should hurt, Sirius thought as teeth that were too sharp to be human pierced flesh and muscle with the ease of a hot knife through butter. It didn't hurt, Instead a great wave of intense, orgasmic bliss obliterated any other thoughts he may have had, his whole body jerked violently beneath his mate, his eyes stared blindly up at the sky as lightening shattered it into a thousand pieces.

Sirius was shuddering beneath Remus, every nerve in his body tingling, his cock hot and hard beneath layers of fabric. His eyes glittered oddly in his pale face as Remus ran his tongue over the wound slowly, Sirius cursed softly and shivered again. He reached up, his wrists escaping the bonds of his lovers hands, and he buried his fingers in Remus' hair. "Fuck." He muttered softly, his voice hoarse. "I didn't know it would mean that…I kind of thought it'd involve bondage or something…"

Remus shook his head as best he could. "No…It's a kind of magical bond, it's sealed by your acceptance of it. In nature the Alpha male and female wolf have a mutual and equal bond, this is the Werewolf version of it." He smiled wonkily. "If I'd have known that you were nervous about it because of that I'd have told you sooner."

"I'm hard as rock, Remus." Sirius muttered, still sounding breathless. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I've never felt anything like this before…"

"I never expected it to be so…intense." As he ran his tongue over his lips he could taste the coppery salt tang of Sirius' blood and shuddered. Sirius lifted himself up and pressed their lips together, he ran his tongue over Remus' in a slow sensual movement and drew away again. "There's erm…one last thing we have to do…" Remus muttered, his fingers toying with Sirius' hair.

"Fuck until we're screaming?" Sirius croaked hoarsely, eyes flashing as they reflected the lightening.

Remus laughed. "No, the bond is equal…"

Sirius didn't need telling twice, he rolled them both over so he was sitting atop Remus, they gazed at each other as a storm raged around them, their tree twisted and creaked in the intense wind but neither of them cared. Sirius began moving his hips, pushing his erection roughly into Remus' and enjoying the way his face changed as he moaned. He fell forward and buried his face in the crook of Remus' throat, slowly he ran his tongue across that delectable flesh and shuddered. With the continued rocking of his hips he bit down as hard as he could on Remus' neck and felt him stiffen. Their hips took up an almost frantic pace as pleasure swallowed them both whole, Sirius felt his teeth become sharper, digging deeper so they would leave a clear, perfect imprint. Blood coated his tongue and it seemed to set off a chain reaction. He grunted helplessly as an orgasm such as he had never had before crashed into him, it knocked his breath from his lungs and left him panting and gasping as came hard in his trousers. Remus shuddered beneath him, his own cock twitching in response as he cried out Sirius' name. Sirius released Remus' neck from his teeth and ran his tongue over the wound, as he drew away he stared down into eyes that reflected his own. "Mine." He growled and Remus smiled.

"Yours." He agreed a little hoarsely.


	13. Family and Enemy

AN: Well, I did put this in the drama section. :D Lots of things going on here, I did enjoy writing this chapter, I hope you enjoy reading it. Thank you to my lovely reviewers, you are too kind. :)

**Chapter Twelve: Family and Enemy**

The room was semi-dark, Remus peered inside to ensure there were no students hiding in there when a hand descended on his shoulder. He yelped in fright and spun around to find himself slammed roughly into a wall, hot lips were pressed against his own and hands tangled in his hair. He moaned helplessly and deepened the kiss, extending his tongue to find it greeted with another, he smiled slightly and lifted both arms to wrap them firmly around his mate. "Sirius." He whispered as they pulled apart, Sirius grinned at him.

"Did I scare you?"

"A little, but that was soon put to rights when you kissed me."

"I saw you standing by the room and couldn't resist the opportunity," He grabbed Remus' hand and pulled him roughly into the classroom. "Shall we take advantage of this?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sirius, I'm on duty. I can't be seen to be breaking rules…"

"Go on, let's fuck over the teacher's desk…It'll be fun." His eyes twinkled with mischief in a way Remus could never resist, he smiled and let himself be gently tugged towards the desk at the far end of the room. Sirius pulled himself up onto it and sat there, he leaned back on his hands and smiled seductively. "I've been ever such a _naughty_ boy, Professor…I think I need to be punished."

Remus giggled slightly manically. "Roleplay?"

"Why not?" Sirius replied as he unbuttoned his shirt and let his tie fall through his fingers. "You'd make a good teacher, Moony, you know you get off on putting us in line…Merlin, just imagining that sexy teachers voice you use when you're telling me off is making me hard."

"Sirius I…I-I'm not sure this is such a good Ide-mmm…" Lips captured his own once again and he felt Sirius' hand gliding down his chest.

"Come on, just once…Be reckless, Moony." Sirius growled as he tugged at Remus' tie. "What is my punishment, Professor Lupin?"

"Nn-S-Sirius…" Remus muttered as he pushed his hands into long hair and pulled their lips together once again, he felt eager fingers tugging at his belt and let himself melt against his mate. "Suck me off." He growled.

Sirius smirked and dropped to his knees, he ran the flat of both palms up Remus' thighs as Remus tangled the fingers of one hand in his hair and pulled his head closer to his now aching erection.

~XXX~

Severus walked down the corridor back to the Slytherin common room, he had a lot on his mind, not least the new and very interesting gossip concerning one Sirius Black. He was so busy considering how he could use this information against the boy that he almost didn't hear it, he had walked past the class room before a noise broke his chain of thought. He spun around and stared at the door, it was open a crack and there were distinct sounds coming from within. He would be damned if he would ever allow students to get away with being out of bounds this late past curfew, with a small, satisfied smile, he moved to the door and looked inside. What he saw made him feel as if all his breath had been knocked from his lungs. It was too good. It was too perfect.

Sirius Black was on his knees, a position Snape had yearned to see him in since they had first met, before one Remus Lupin. He had his mouth full and was moaning softly while Lupin moved his hips back and forth. Severus was far from stupid, he knew what it meant. He knew that they would be in a world of trouble if anyone were to find out. He dived back away from the door and leaned against the wall, he bit down hard on his bottom lip as he considered what to do about it. He would need proof, but how was he to get it? With as quiet a breath as he could he summoned the muggle camera from his room, of course, he rarely used it but his father had passed it on to him when he didn't know how to make it work. Severus had made plenty of magical adjustments to it so it now took pictures with no sound, nor did it need any flash. He grinned as he caught the object zooming towards him and stepped back to the gap.

~XXX~

Remus felt a familiar tightening in his gut, without thought he yanked Sirius' mouth away from his cock as he came and watched it splash Sirius' face. Sirius chuckled roughly, licking his lips as he gazed up at his lover. "That…" Remus began, relinquishing his grip on Sirius' hair. "That was…amazing…" He sat down, his chest heaving as Sirius stood up.

"That it was Moony…" Sirius replied, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his face. "I came in my pants." He giggled and leaned down to kiss his mate, as he did so he moved so he was sat in Remus' lap with his arms around his neck. Their kiss was long and deep and when they drew away Sirius sighed. "Have you ever thought that perhaps what you did to me was a good thing?" He pulled back enough to see his lovers face. "I mean, this way neither of us are ever alone, even during a full moon."

Remus smiled gently and pressed his forehead against Sirius' chest. "No. It can't be a good thing, Sirius. When I bit you I ruined your life. You're homeless, you've got no family. What are you going to do now?"

Sirius shrugged. "Live…somehow." He replied. "But I can't…I can't do it…" His face twisted and he avoided Remus' gaze. "I can't do it alone. Don't make me do it alone…It'd kill me."

"I won't. I'll never leave you, Sirius." And they were kissing again, their eyes and ears shut to the world so that they didn't hear the sound of someone dropping something plastic onto a stone floor.

~XXX~

Severus walked away, his feet taking him automatically to the dungeons. Excitement flared brightly in his chest, he could hardly believe his luck. He had managed to not only catch Black in the midst of an illicit affair but he had been with a boy, and not just any boy, his best friend! And, to top it all off, he was almost certain he had just discovered that Remus Lupin was a werewolf and had obviously bitten Sirius. It was as if all his birthdays had come early along with all fifteen years' worth of Christmas' never celebrated. He finally had dirt on Black. He could finally see him destroyed beyond repair. A homeless Aristocrat always had options; a homeless, gay Aristocratic Werewolf however, had none. With a single word and a few graphic pictures he could avenge himself for years of torture and degradation. Now Severus Snape could finally see Sirius Black cry.

~XXX~

A week passed in a blur of relative peace for the Marauders, they went to lessons, ate and laughed. Sirius wondered if his life wasn't improving after so many days of depression. His spirits were lifted, even without the answer from his Uncle, he felt at home once again.

One evening he was walking up to the dorms with aching arms, he had been caught by McGonagall and forced to help her clear away all the mess left behind after a particularly rowdy class where they were trying to turn wallabies into chairs, they had escaped their cage and hopped all around the classroom causing chaos. He groaned as he rolled his shoulders and neck, he hated cleaning. Suddenly he rounded a corner and bumped into something solid. "Oh, Sorry." He muttered absently as he gazed at the person he had bumped into. He was staring at a mirror image with deliberate mistakes. "Reg!" He said in surprise, eyeing his brother warily.

Regulus was wearing a look that told him something horrible had happened and he felt his stomach disappear. "Sirius." Regulus said in a voice of stiff formality. "I would prefer it if you addressed me with the proper respect."

Sirius sneered unconsciously. "What? Ikle Reggiekins?"

"Oh stop that!" Regulus sighed wearily, he rubbed his eyes as if he was suffering lack of sleep. "Mother has been positively beside herself lately, she doesn't know what to do. I know, I'm not supposed to talk to you but…" He sighed and looked his brother in the eye. "The papers have yet to come through and at the moment you are still my brother. You have a right to know."

"Know what?" Sirius asked feeling cold dread sink into his gut.

Regulus' face became a mask of pity, he glanced up and down the corridor before taking Sirius' hand and pulling him behind a tapestry. "Sirius, two weeks ago Uncle Alphard died." Sirius' jaw dropped, he gaped stupidly at Regulus who bit his lip nervously. "I…I'm so sorry…Mother and father…they told me not to say anything to you but you will find out soon anyway. The Lawyers visited yesterday and told Mother that he has left you a substantial amount of gold…in fact, he gave you everything he owned." It was too much. Sirius fell backwards into the wall and sank down it, he gazed blindly opposite him as he tried to digest it all. "You know that Alphard got the mansion from Grandmother, don't you? He's left you that too. He somehow made the will so binding not even our Lawyers can find a loophole…Sirius, you are inheriting an entire estate from him, his gold, even his power within the Ministry its self…"

"Oh…" Sirius said weakly, his face was white and his eyes glittered oddly. Regulus knew that look well, he had seen it on his face when Andromeda had told them she was leaving the family to be with her Muggle husband. Her defection had caused outrage to everyone except Sirius, Sirius had shut down. He had locked himself away and hadn't left his room for a week straight. Regulus bit his lower lip and sank onto his haunches.

"Will you be alright?" He whispered softly.

"Mm…Y-yeah…I-I…No…I don't…fuck…" Sirius buried his face in his hands and curled in on himself. "I remember the time…when I was six…Mother was angry, I had taken some biscuits from the jar when Kreacher had been elsewhere and she…she locked me in the pantry. I would have had to stay there all week but Alphard found me after a day and he took me out…he let me sleep with him b-because I had nightmares…Shit…H-He's really…? He's…?" He looked up at his brother as if searching and hoping it was a lie. Regulus said nothing and Sirius swallowed. "O-Ok then…right…th-thanks f-for this…"

"You needed to know." Regulus said with a small, helpless little shrug. He stood and, with one last glance back at his brother, left him there.

Later Sirius got up on unsteady legs and ran straight to Gryffindor tower, he climbed in through the portrait hole and, ignoring all attempts to gain his attention, went straight to the dorm. He fell onto his bed and hugged his pillow tightly as pain and emptiness engulfed him. He barely felt his friends sit at his side, he barely felt that comforting hand in his hair or the soft questions. He kept his face buried firmly in his pillow to hide his tears and shook with suppressed sobs. Finally he regained enough control to sit upright, he wiped his eyes on his sleeves and blinked slowly at Remus. "Alphard's d-dead." He croaked and gritted his teeth against another wave of pure agony. James and Peter were dutifully ignoring his tears and waiting for him to come to them, for now all Sirius wanted was Remus.

"I'm so sorry." Remus said quietly and Sirius nodded.

"He…he's l-left me…everything…in his will I mean. I-I…I've been left with a-a house and a-a vault of G-Gold…and…and a life…" He sniffed and Remus handed him a hanky wordlessly.

"That's brilliant, Sirius…" Remus said with a small, sad smile. "You can move out of your parent's house without any worry at all."

"It's not that simple, Remus." James said and Sirius nodded. "He can't legally inherit anything until he comes of age, and then of course his family could delay that by disputing the claim…it would cause no end of irritation on Sirius' part even if the Will is water tight." He frowned at the wall a moment. "I've been thinking about this for a while now, Sirius." He said seriously and met his best friends gaze, even Remus could feel years worth of sexual tension between them. "When you have to leave, move in with me. My mum really liked you, she's forever saying excellent your manners are…my dad won't mind, after all it'll only be until this inheritance stuff is sorted, won't it?"

Sirius opened his mouth and closed it again a few times before managing a small, weak smile instead. "Thanks." He croaked.

"No problem, I'll write my mum tomorrow…she keeps bugging me about writing, she won't take a 'I'm busy, go away' for an answer." He sighed and shook his head before picking up a book and opening it. "…I'm sorry, Sirius…I really am. Alphard sounded like a nice guy."

"He was…thanks, mate."

James smiled as he read his book and Sirius lay on his bed in Remus' arms, however his eyes lingered on James for a long while after he felt Remus fall asleep.

~XXX~

Sirius thought that Alphard's death was as bad as it could get, he was wrong. The next day he was eating breakfast when the morning post owls arrived, many students were taking the Prophet due to the odd happenings going on in the outside world. People disappearing, people turning up dead…not even Muggle's were safe and the Ministry still had no idea what was behind it…or so they said. Remus was one of those who got the paper, it arrived with a large barn owl who fluffed himself up when Remus took the paper and paid him before flying away again. He unrolled the paper, took a sip of his tea and opened it. It took a split second before he was spraying tea all over the page he was on, he choked and gasped while James hit him on the back repeatedly until he regained his breath. Sirius frowned in concern, he could feel his mates shock and terror and he could see it in his face. "What's wrong?" He asked and Remus turned abruptly in his chair, wide, terror filled eyes scanning the hall. Students were wearing frowns as they read, they were casting glances at the Gryffindor table and whispering behind hands.

"Sirius…" James said in a soft voice full of warning. "Sirius, come on…let's get out of here…" He stood up and grabbed Sirius by the arm, without further explanation he dragged him through the Great Hall and into the Entrance.

"James…" Sirius muttered, trying to tug his arm free. "Jamie…_Prongs_!" He gave his arm an almighty wrench and ripped it free of his best friend's death grip. "What the hell has got into you? Are you going to explain or do I have to guess?"

James, white as a sheet with Remus looking equally as terror stricken at his shoulder, swallowed and shoved the paper at Sirius. "Read." He ordered.

Sirius frowned and looked down at the torn paper he now held, it was an article written in the gossip column. A small article, topped with his on photograph staring back at him.

_From Prince to Pauper_

_Sirius Orion Black, the third of his name was recently and publically disowned by his well known and highly respected family. People who heard the news began to speculate as to why, the prophet managed to get a his Mother, Walburga Black, to comment upon the situation, however, she only told us that it was family business. Now, we can exclusively reveal that young Mr. Black has been recorded having an illicit affair. At sixteen he was the handsome heartthrob at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a dashing prankster who broke many a girls heart, who would expect less from such a rebellious prince? We would have expected it from Mr. Black, but we did not expect to discover hard evidence that Mr. Black's interests are not limited by gender. He has been seen to be having an affair with his best friend Mr. Remus Lupin, a male. Not only is this a social crime, it is made even worse by the fact that the ministry has been keeping vital information from the public eye. Remus John Lupin of six Wassily Way, London, can now be revealed as a known Werewolf. In fact he has indeed bitten and seduced the infamous Sirius Black. We must ask the question why the venerable Headmaster would allow such creatures within the sacred halls of learning…_

Sirius took a deep, shuddery breath and gazed at Remus who looked as if he was going to throw up. Sirius couldn't blame him. It was James who voiced the question before they did; "How did they know?"

Sirius couldn't give an answer. He was ruined. He felt dizziness sweep over him and the paper fell from numb fingers, his chest ached as he tried to draw in a whole breath. It was too much. On top of his Uncle's death he now had to cope with this. His knees buckled and he fell into darkness.

**End Note: Sirius fainted at the end because he was hyperventilating with panic, sometimes lack of oxygen to the brain will make someone faint. He's not being a woman, he simply panicked. :)**


	14. Outcast

AN: A slightly longer chapter for those who wanted one, lol. I hope you continue to enjoy as the scandal continues! Oh poor Sirius, James and Remus…what a messy situation this is! *Smiles evilly* Considering this is a Kimmimaru story it has to get worse before it gets better! Lol. The end bit is a little slushy but I suppose a bit of romance within the darkness of a bedroom does no harm…or does it?! :O Love the reviews, thank you.

**Chapter Thirteen: Outcast**

James hovered nervously by Sirius' bedside, although Madam Pomfrey had declared that Sirius had simply suffered an immense shock and fainted he still worried. Remus was sitting in a chair with his fingers buried in his hair as he tried to cope with the sheer scale of the problems caused by the Prophet. They were in serious trouble, that much they all knew. It would take little time for the story to spread around the students and when it did the Governors would be forced to act and perhaps even the ministry would get involved, not only that but this news could hurt Sirius' chances at inheriting his Uncle's estates and titles. The doors to the Hospital Wing opened and Dumbledore, with Professor McGonagall at his heels, arrived in a swirl of purple robes. "Poppy, if you would be so kind as to revive Sirius for us." Dumbledore said and the nurse did as instructed.

Sirius woke with a soft gasp and sat bolt upright, his eyes darted around the gathered people in terror. "I'm sorry!" He said abruptly. "I-I'm so sorry…I…I should have…b-been more careful and-"

"You are not in any trouble from us, dear boy." Dumbledore said calmly, he took a spare seat beside Sirius' bed and his face became serious. "However, this news will indeed cause issues beyond my control."

Sirius nodded. "I know. I'm sorry."

"I understand how difficult this must be for you, to have your private preferences pushed so violently into the public eye like that must have come as a great shock."

Sirius groaned and fell backwards onto his bed, he pushed his hands into his hair and squeezed his eyes shut. "I've spent years in hiding." He whispered roughly. "Hiding my true nature from even myself…b-but now I…now I've been outed to the whole school…Merlin, what am I going to do? I've lost all respect, I've destroyed even Remus' reputation!"

"My reputation was going to be sullied eventually, it was only a matter of time before someone found out…" Remus said blankly.

"Yeah, but now you're not just a werewolf, are you? You're a gay werewolf."

"I'm not gay." Remus replied with quiet honesty.

"No, but no one will want to hear that, will they? Remus, you don't understand the danger this puts you in! I have fan clubs for crying out loud! Girls from all over the school haunt my footsteps and now they're going to see you as an enemy, they will be after blood and they're unlikely to see me as anything but a victim in this." He paused to allow this to sink in. "On top of that we have to deal with my family who are still my family for now, not only have they discovered I am a Werewolf but that I'm gay…do you know what that's going to do to their reputation? They're going to be doing everything in their extensive power to get you in trouble…" He paused and stared down at his hands as they twisted in his lap. "There are some who…" He bit on his bottom lip and closed his eyes with a soft sigh. "There are members of my family who won't tolerate any stain on their good name, I can guarantee they'll try to hush it all up and if that can't be done…if they can't make excuses to protect themselves then they'll go straight for the throat." Slowly he looked up and caught Remus' gaze. "They'll try and kill you." He said quietly.

"Oh surely that is an exaggeration, Mr. Black!" McGonagall said.

"I am quite ready to believe that some members of Sirius' family have the power to do great damage, perhaps even kill if things do not go their way." Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Sirius, are you sure there isn't any way you can solve this without it coming to such drastic measures?"

Sirius stared at Dumbledore in silence for a long time. "Yes." His voice left him in something less than a whisper, he ran fingers through his hair and turned his head away. "I'll have to give up everything. I…I only have to go back to them, to beg them for forgiveness and get myself accepted back into the family. They can manipulate the papers, they can make it so that I was never a Werewolf in the eyes of the public. I-I just have to give up everything I am."

James made a furious noise in the back of his throat. "No. No you can't do that Sirius!"

"And why not?" Sirius looked at him, a hard glint in his eye that showed his determination. "If it'll protect Remus, if it'll allow him to stay in school, I'll do anything and everything I can!"

"They'll make you into their puppet!" James replied, standing up suddenly so his chair was pushed behind him. The two ignored all others as they stared at each other. "They'll force you into an unwanted marriage, you'll never have your own life! They'd make you do horrible things! You'd never be able to do what you want or say or even think what you want! I'D NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!"

The silence was loud, Dumbledore stood slowly. "We shall excuse ourselves for now." He said and left them all to it, McGonagall followed. Pomfrey decided she had somewhere else to be and the four friends were left alone. Peter sat in his seat and watched the agony flick across Sirius' face, he could see Remus looking as white as a sheet and James…James had never looked so distraught. Slowly Sirius stood up and took James' hands in his own, he pressed his forehead against his best friends and they both closed their eyes. "Jamie…" Sirius muttered. "What choice do I have?"

James gripped Sirius' hands tightly, he gritted his teeth as pain wrenched his heart. "We were gunna be together forever, Sirius…d-do you remember?"

Sirius smiled softly. "I've never forgotten."

"Then…then don't do this. Please." James' voice was barely above a whisper, Peter looked away in embarrassment, he had never seen James so open and vulnerable before and he found it a little disturbing. It felt as if he was witnessing something indecent.

"I have to." Sirius replied, lifting his hands and taking James' face. For a moment they were the only two people in the world, no one else mattered. He leaned in and pressed his lips to James', the response was hesitant and he could feel James shaking as he tried and failed to suppress his emotions. "Sometimes we're given no choice, Prongs. Sometimes we have to do what is right and…and this is one of those times. If I sacrifice my own happiness to become my parents puppet then I know I can protect Remus, if I don't do this my cousins and their family's will find ways to make his life hell. They'd destroy him and his family. They'd be wiped off the face of Britain! Is that what you want?"

"N-No…No…I don't…I don't want any of it! I want…I want everything to be the way it was before! I-I hate this! Why does everything have to change?"

Sirius kissed him again, his lips soft and gentle and James couldn't help but let them relax him a little. "Because it does. I'll always love you Jamie, remember that, won't you? No matter what I do, no matter what becomes of me…remember that I'll never stop loving you."

"You're a bastard, Black." James replied and tore himself free of Sirius' embrace, his face was full of determination, he stood with a straight back and a frown. "You think yours is the only family with political weight, Sirius?" He said in a cold, hard voice. "If you think that this is the end, think again! I'll die before I ever see any one of you hurt! I have some things to do, I'll see you later." Without another word he left in a swirl of robes, Peter stood up nervously and hovered a moment before dashing out of the hospital wing after him.

Sirius gazed at the door sadly a moment before he straightened his own shoulders. Remus watched as a change overcame him, his eyes became hard and glittered slightly in the light of the oil lamps, his back was straight and his face a mask. He couldn't even begin to guess what was going on beneath the surface, Sirius turned to him and they gazed at each other. "Remus I-"

Remus shook his head and stood up. "We're in this together." He said quietly and held out his hand, Sirius looked at it for a moment before turning his back.

"No, not anymore we're not." He said in a cold, hard voice. "This time, Lupin, you're going to have to rescind on your promise. We can't be together. No matter what the Wolf wants, from here on out our paths must deviate. I…" he faltered and cleared his throat. "I apologise for the mess I've caused you and can only hope that I can right it and that we may part on good terms. I really don't think that I will be a part of this school for much longer, once I have done what I am about to do you will want to be as far from me as possible…I only ask that you…that you can one day forgive me and understand why I'm doing this. I hope you can…can keep Potter from hurting himself and damaging his family, could you do that for me?"

"Not for you." Remus said, his own voice shaking slightly. "I will, however, do it for James and for the boy I know is lying beneath the surface of…of whatever I'm talking to now."

Sirius turned cold eyes on him. "You're talking to the person my parents wanted me to be, you're talking to Sirius Orion Black the third, heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black."

"Ah, I see." Remus looked him up and down. "I preferred just plain old Sirius." Without another word he turned and walked away, leaving Sirius alone in the deepening shadows. As the door slammed closed Sirius felt the strength leave his body, he collapsed back and sat down heavily on the bed, he lifted his hands and pressed them to his face.

"I'm so sorry…" He gasped into the silence. "I'm sorry…"

~XXX~

The first week was the worst Sirius had ever experienced, the whole school knew of the scandal and made no secret of their feelings. Sirius was subjected to questions, stares, whispers and even sometimes outright attacks. He walked the corridors with his head held high and eyes straight ahead, yet he always kept one hand on his wand at all times. His brother kept his distance, he would take no part in the bullying but neither did he help Sirius, he stood on the sidelines and watched. Sirius stopped hanging around with the rest of the Marauders, this change didn't go unnoticed by either the teachers nor the students, he ensured he kept all the attention on himself in an attempt to stop Remus from getting the flack but still there were those who could not ignore Remus' part in the sordid tale.

Sirius' grades rose until he became one of the top people in the class, he needed school work to help him cope with everything and so he threw himself into it like never before. The teachers were astounded by this sudden upsurge of hard work, even if they all knew and understood the cause. James began to watch him, he spent more time in the library than anywhere else researching Wizarding Laws, he had a plan but it would take months to set it into motion and perhaps it would not work at all, but it was all he had.

One day Sirius received a letter from his mother, he sat at breakfast away from his fellow students and read it over a cup of tea. When he had he stood up and left the room, he went straight to the owlry and sent his reply before going to his first lesson of the day. It was Friday and he would be going into Hogsmeade on the Saturday to meet with his parents and finally give them what they had always wanted; a true heir. The prospect made him nervous and he couldn't eat dinner that evening, instead he went straight to bed and stayed up long into the night as he listened to his dorm mates sleeping, it would probably be the last time he heard it so he absorbed the feelings those soft snores gave him until he had them memorised. "I'll never forget, thank you…all of you…for making me happy for the first and last time of my life." He whispered and for a moment there was complete silence.

"We're mates right?" Came a soft voice from outside his bed curtains, Sirius sighed and sat upright before opening them and finding himself staring up at a moon lit James.

"What are you doing?" Sirius whispered as James climbed into his bed.

"Giving you what you've always wanted." James replied as he leaned over him and pressed their lips together. He had thought of it a lot over the past week and could come to no other solution, he had to give Sirius something…anything to simply make him see how much he cared. For nearly two years they had danced around the subject, Sirius' constant suggestions had annoyed James at first but now he couldn't think of any reason not to.

"Jamie." Sirius whispered against James' mouth, he sighed and pulled away. "We can't do it. Not now, not ever. I'm going to have a different life now, I'm going to fall on my knees and beg my parents to take me back…when they do I won't be allowed to be myself anymore, the boy you knew will be dead."

"I know. But I can't leave it like this…Sirius, do you…do you still love me?"

"Always." Sirius replied and they were kissing again, Sirius felt a familiar heat searing his chest as hands were suddenly everywhere at once and he moaned heavily. The world condensed to contain only them, no one else mattered, nothing mattered except James' body pressing so closely to his own.

Remus gazed up at the canopy of his bed as he listened to the soft noises coming from the one next to his, he could hear mutters and groans, the noise of shifting bed sheets and occasionally Sirius' voice quickly muffled by flesh. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, he should have known what would happen, he knew James well enough by now to understand that he would anything and everything to keep Sirius with them. The question was was whether it would work.

"Wow…"

James' soft gasp reached into Remus' chest and tore at his heart, he heard Sirius breathing heavily as the sound of the bed creaking filled the still air.

"Oh Merlin…Sirius…I never thought it'd feel so-so…"

"Good?" Sirius suggested breathlessly. "Jamie, move…fuck, that's it…right there."

_You are allowing this befoulment of our bond, human?_ The voice seemed to echo through his subconscious followed by a low, forbidding growl.

_Yes, if it will keep Sirius with us. I don't care about how much it hurts if being with James will make him see how wrong it is to give it all up then so be it. I don't want him to give away his morals just because of me, I don't want to see him hurt._

_Our bond is sacred and magically binding, he has no choice but to be with us. He is desecrating the marks I gave him!_

_He won't be controlled, not by you or by me. This is a decision he must make for himself and I will not, in good conscience, tell him what he should or should not do._

The wolf was silent for a while and Remus could hear Sirius gasping and moaning as the bed rocked against the wall. He rolled onto his side and curled up into a ball as pain assaulted him.

_The next full is days away, do you not yet understand what it will do to him if we are not together during the change? He will turn on himself, he will attack his own flesh much as I did to us not so long ago. He will end up scarred and wounded and weaker than before. No werewolf who does such can survive for long, eventually he will kill himself. The change will wreak unusual havoc upon his body, he will be slowly driven mad by pain and grief. If he goes away he will die. Is this what you want for him?_

_No! No of course not…but I know Sirius and he will risk death to protect us and if he does not submit to his parents they will hunt me down and murder myself and my family and you along with us! What choice is there?_

_There are many choices, human…we shall see. We shall wait and watch and when the time is right I intend to reclaim our mate._

Remus opened his eyes and sighed softly, he could still hear the noises of passionate love making from the nest bed. Sirius had never been so vocal with him before, it dawned on him that perhaps his feelings for his friend only went in one direction.

"Oh God, James!" Sirius arched his back, pressing his chest against his lovers before being dragged back into a furious, sloppy kiss. James' brow was furrowed slightly as he gripped Sirius' hips and moved his own in tandem. Pleasure overwhelmed him until he couldn't think of anything except Sirius, he saw only those lust blown silver eyes, only those intrepid hands as fingers tangled in the hair at the back of his neck. He felt only soft, demanding lips against his own as he hissed and moaned into a hot mouth. "Don't stop."

"S-Sirius…You don't…You don't have t-to go anywhere…" James muttered, pressing their foreheads together as he ran the flat of his palm up Sirius' thigh and lifted it so he could move deeper. "Fuck this is amazing." He licked his lips and closed his eyes briefly before the desire to look into Sirius' overcame him. "We can work through it. I-I can…nnn-god! I can help you…let me…Please, Sirius. I need this. I-I n-need you…oh yeah…"

Sirius moved his hips and shuddered, his fingers tangled in the sheets and he moaned. "Don't…don't do this now! Please-fuck! Right there…oh god that's it! More Jamie! Hard-nng…Harder!" James complied and shifted further onto his knees as he pounded into Sirius roughly, their lips brushed, he could feel Sirius' body tightening around him. "'M cumming…" Sirius gasped, his eyes flying open and his back arching dramatically. "H-Hurry…"

James bent his head, pressing his forehead to the dip of Sirius' throat, he gripped one of his legs tightly so his nails dug into the sweaty flesh and felt his completion nearing rapidly. "Love you…love you…love you Sirius…" He gasped as he came, allowing that bright crisp feeling to wash over him as he vaguely felt Sirius' semen spattering his chest. Finally they relaxed and James collapsed on top of his lover with a satisfied sigh, they lay in a tangle of sweaty limbs and allowed the pull of sleep to silence all but their rapid breathing for a moment.

Sirius ran slow fingers through James' sweaty hair, he lay still enjoying the gentle, loving kisses his lover trailed across his collar bone and moaned softly when he felt James' cock slip from him. After a moment he spoke, "Did you mean it?" He breathed, terrified of the answer.

James stilled and stared at Sirius' shoulder as he allowed his fingers to drag up and down his ribs. "I-I…I suppose I did…"

"That's not an answer, James."

He closed his eyes tightly and licked his lips, tasting salt on them. "Yes, Sirius…I meant it."

"Then say it again."

James shifted until he was gazing down into Sirius' face, they were nose to nose and although the image was blurry without his glasses he could imagine that wonderfully tender and vulnerable expression on his best friends face. "I love you Sirius."

Sirius smiled. "I love you too Jamie."

Remus curled up into a tighter ball and covered his face with his hands, he was surprised at how raw the pain was. He had never really considered what would happen if he allowed himself to become emotionally attached to Sirius and now he was regretting everything. There had only ever been one man for Sirius, there had only ever been one person who could truly make him happy and now that he had what he wanted Remus stood no chance.

_I would not count us out yet, Human. Our mate is, after all, a Werewolf now and we will have him by our sides whether he wishes it or not. The magical bond demands it and most of all I demand it. Be patient, Human, in time we shall make our move._


	15. Heir

AN: A bit of a short chapter today as I am feeling a bit emotionally unstable at the moment, and because I felt it needed to end there. If I had continued it simply would NOT have felt right. :/ I apologise for this but I do hope you enjoy it none the less. :) Thank you for reading and reviewing its always wonderful to hear from fans. I hope the next chapter will be longer and more to your liking.

**Chapter Fourteen: Heir to The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black.**

The Hogs Head was a pub that most students avoided so Sirius' mother had decided it would be the best place to meet, he stood outside the door beneath the creaking sign as students wondered past chatting happily about menial things. That morning he had woken by James' side and everything had seemed so golden and wonderful that he had almost decided to forgo this meeting and simply lie in the warmth of his arms for ever, however, he knew that the problems would not just go away. With a deep breath he steeled his courage and pushed open the door, the room was almost empty except for the bar man and two people sitting in a shadowy corner, the bar man seemed vaguely familiar as he nodded to Sirius in welcome. Sirius fidgeted with the ribbon in his hair before frowning and forcing his arms down by his sides, he had ensured he was looking his best with his hair tied back from his face and his robes neatly pressed. He walked over to his parents and they looked up as he stopped before them. "Mother, father." He said by way of greeting.

"Boy, sit." Orion ordered and Sirius dropped neatly into a chair. "Now, you have something to say."

"I do." Sirius frowned and pushed away all his reservations, his hands clenched into fists upon the table and he leaned forward. "I wish to apologise for my disgusting behaviour. I have been nothing but a disappointment to you since the moment I was born, I have disregarded the ideals this family hold dear and have been rebellious and rude. I wish for you to rescind the announcement that you are disowning me and take me back into the family, I want to try and prove to you that I have changed."

Walburga folded her hands in her lap and gave him a disgusted look. "And how will we ever be able to remove the stain you have placed upon our noble and ancient family? How can you make up for your vile desecrations of all that is natural?" She removed from her purse several photographs and pushed them towards her son, Sirius found himself faced with graphic images of his activities with Remus.

Slowly he licked his lips and put his hand over them. "I can deny it." He said firmly. "Only the Prophet know of the pictures, they can easily be silenced. I can do whatever you want me to do to make up for it, Mother."

"Is it true then? Are you a…Homosexual?" Walburga's lip curled in distaste as she watched her son warily.

Sirius lowered his head. "I will be whatever you wish me to be, Mother."

"How do you propose we remove the idea from the heads of the public?" Orion said gruffly, his eyes showed nothing but contempt.

"Perhaps you could make a statement, or allow me to, and we can deny the allegations. At the end of the day it was put in the Gossip Column along with articles about famous bands and Ministry members, I see no reason why it should not be easy to deny." Sirius met their eyes with a hard stare of his own, finally Walburga took the photo's and tore them up. Sirius felt his heart stop in his chest as he watched the pictures float to the floor.

"Then you will make a public announcement this Monday, it will be to announce your reformed ways, admit guilt to being a rebel and to deny the allegations of illicit activities. Then we will talk no more about it. When we are back on our feet I will arrange for some suitable marriage prospects for you, I expect you to choose a future wife and ensure you are formally engaged by the end of the week. This will prevent anymore scandal. As my future heir you will be expected to act like it, I will not have you dallying around with these friends of yours, you must denounce them and make more respectable friends in their place. You will of course be removed from Hogwarts and home tutored until you are qualified, I am sure Dumbledore will agree. Once we have you home we shall set up arrangements for each full moon and keep your disease a secret. We know that Werewolves do not live long and we expect you to produce an heir as soon as you are married officially, this will quash any further rumours of your true nature." She removed a sheet of Parchment from her purse and pushed it towards him. "Here are the names of suitable girls I have compiled, all of them from good lines, all of them pure. Choose a few who interest you and we shall arrange the usual chaperoned meetings before people have time to think too much and once you have decided we will announce an engagement. Do this and you will be able to take up your titles and inherit all that is owed." She stood, followed by her husband while Sirius sat perfectly still and stared blankly at the names before him. "We expect regular updates on your progress until the summer, good bye Sirius."

They left without another word and Sirius' shoulders drooped, he pushed his hands into his hair as he tried to fight off the feeling like he was drowning. A hand landed on his shoulder and he turned to see the Barman holding a glass of firewhisky. "Don't tell your headmaster." He muttered and walked away.

Sirius sipped the whiskey as he read the list of names, some he recognised, others he didn't. He sighed heavily and folded the parchment up in his pocket and downed the rest of his drink. He had to choose one and it may as well be someone he knew, he stood and left, tossing some money onto the bar.

~XXX~

"Mary-Anne Yaxley, Ida Rose Crabbe, Clara Burke, Gertrude Flint, Dorothy Gamp, Jessie Cora Crouch, Sadie May Bulstrode, Viola Blishwick, Olive MacMillan, Celia Ina Lestrange, Ethel Ashdown, Ruth Brewer, Minnie Rose Down, Lillian Forge, Hazel Gedge, Elizabeth Grace Griggs, Francis Pearl Kaylock, Catherine Lynch, Mildred Mast, Josephine Rowe, Nellie Sarah Sinnett, Amanda Strain, Loretta Wakefield, Betty Wickes, Teresa Wraith, Delia Sue Younger…What is this?" Remus asked, indicating the parchment he had been reading from. James gave him a condescending look before sighing.

"I found it on Sirius' bedside table, it's a list of girls."

"I worked that much out, but why?"

"He's got to choose a bride!" James said incredulously. "Don't you understand that yet? Because he's now Mr. High and Mighty he has to marry someone of equal station. Unlike my parents Sirius' won't let him do it for love, they'll make him do it for money and power."

"So…so the ones highlighted in red are…?"

"The one's he's chosen to meet I suspect." James cast the paper a filthy glare from where he sat on his bed. "Yaxley, Burke, Flint, Gamp, Crouch, MacMillan…all of those are fine, upstanding pureblood families who would kill to marry into the Black's. Personally I don't blame him putting a line through Bulstrode and Crabbe…honestly, two uglier families there have never been."

"Their brothers are a few years older than us aren't they?" Remus asked absently.

"Yeah, Malfoy's mates." James replied with venom.

"Ok, so Sirius is getting married…there's nothing we can do about it."

James grinned suddenly, a smile that revealed all his teeth and was in no way friendly. "Oh, don't be so sure about that dear Mr. Moony."

"What are you planning?" Remus asked in surprise.

"The best way to discredit a Pureblood family is to find their secrets." James said in a soft voice, his eyes were as hard as gemstones as he spoke and his grin had gone. "I know things about the Black's that would ensure their political destruction…only problem is I need irrefutable proof…I need time as well…before Sirius goes and gets himself into a marriage he doesn't want and can't consummate."

Remus hadn't considered that. "How is he planning on hiding that from his parents?!" He exclaimed. "He can't consummate a marriage to a woman!"

"Well…he's probably got something worked out…" James muttered looking uncomfortable. "Maybe he'll just visualise or something…"

"That's so sad." Remus replied softly. "Why is he doing this?"

"To protect you." James smiled. "He's not doing it for me, the Black's would never dare take on the Potters, no matter how much our families despise each other. However, you're half blood, you have no political protection."

"I see…" Remus sighed heavily and bowed his head. "So it's all my fault."

"No, no it's not! It's Sirius' for not waiting until we found another way around it, cheer up Moony, we'll get him back, trust me."

~XXX~

"Sirius, are you certain that this is what you want?" Dumbledore asked as he lowered the official looking letter to look at the boy sat before him. Sirius sat in his seat as if it were a throne, his eyes were heavily lidded and extremely guarded and his face betrayed nothing.

"My mother wishes for me to be tutored at home, it will be easier for me as I can learn to take over the family after my father."

"But what is it _you_ want?" Dumbledore insisted.

Sirius smiled slowly, the expression utterly humourless and a little chilling. "What I want doesn't matter, Headmaster. My wishes are no longer my own, I have to think about the family and put them before myself."

"I see. I and your teachers will all be very sad to see you go, but if you feel that it is the right thing then we cannot stop you. I only wish that you would consider this carefully…"

"I have, Sir…I've thought about it every night and every day and I'll continue to think about it on my death bed." Sirius said softly, his face opening as if it were a door and Dumbledore saw the genuine pain he was hiding behind the aristocratic façade. "But I have no choice."

"We are all given choices, Sirius."

"Yes…I suppose we are…Unfortunately mine were limited." Sirius stood up and smiled. "Thank you, Sir, thank you for everything…you'll never truly understand how much the time spent beneath this roof has meant to me."

"Oh I believe I understand far more than you are giving me credit for. I hope you will see the error of what you are doing, Sirius, I truly believe that there is a good person buried beneath this cold countenance."

Sirius smirked coldly. "Don't be so sure of that, Headmaster…I am a Black after all."

"But even the Black's have some who are good, if they but looked beneath the surface."

"Unfortunately you won't find anything if you looked beneath the surface of me, I'm going to become something even James won't recognise soon and I refuse to regret it. Good bye, Dumbledore, sir."

"Farewell for now, Sirius."

Sirius closed the door softly behind him and stared at the wall blankly for a long moment, he had done it. He had officially left Hogwarts, the only place he had ever truly felt at home. The prospect terrified him, he felt cold and numb and his heart beat rapidly in his chest, yet he forced himself to step forward. He walked slowly to the stairs and let them carry him down to the Gargoyle before leaving the office and walking steadily down the stairs, he continued walking, thinking of nothing except putting each foot before the other. He refused to look anywhere else or he knew he would simply stop and never move again, his fingers tightened on the banister as he felt a hard lump growing in his throat. As he reached the marble stair case he spotted his parents standing at entrance hall, he let his eyes wander it and spotted a group of three students standing by the Great Hall. They stared at each other for a long, intense moment before Sirius tore his eyes away and walked firmly over to his parents. "It's done." He said roughly. "I'm no longer a student here."

"Very good." Orion said and eyed Sirius' hair. "We'll pop into the Barbers to get that hair of yours cut before we go, shall we?"

"Oh I don't know Orion, I think it looks traditional and distinguished. Lucius did say that it's the new fashion, let him keep it long."

"Very well, very well. Come, Boy."

"Yes sir." Sirius followed them out into the grounds, by now quite a crowd had come out from breakfast to watch him leave. He ignored their heated gazes and walked with a straight back and a blank face, he desperately tried not to think about what he was leaving behind but somehow his thoughts continued to go back to his friends. Remus, with soft brown hair and his kind eyes and James…James who had given him his place in the world, James who had loved him in the end. He swallowed and somehow managed to keep the tears at bay. Somehow he kept putting one foot in front of the other, somehow he managed to get out beyond the boundaries of the school and when he had he looked back over his shoulder at the massive castle and felt his heart break. _Bye. _He thought as his father clamped a hand firmly upon his shoulder and spun them on the spot.


	16. To Be a Black

AN: Ok, this chapter is a little bit more AU than I normally go for…I hope you are still ok with it. :) Enjoy, my wonderful readers.

**Chapter Fifteen: To Be a Black.**

_Today Sirius Orion Black released a statement announcing that the allegations regarding his sexuality and health conditions were false. During a one on one interview Mr. Black agreed that he and his parents had a disagreement and he had very nearly been disowned and disgraced, but now he assures us all that he has seen the error of his ways and is now reformed and intends to become a respectable member of Wizarding society. He let slip that he has been attending chaperoned meetings with some girls from other prestigious families to decide upon a potential bride. We here at the Daily Prophet wish him the best of luck…_

Remus threw the paper back onto the table and glared at his tea, the chatter in the hall washed over him as he considered the ramifications of the article. James had been very quiet all through breakfast, his head bowed as he played idly with his food.

"Oi, Potter! You coming to practice?"

James looked up at the girl who had hailed him, he smiled weakly. "Like I've got a choice, you lot wouldn't win a match against Filch without me."

"Then get your arse in gear, we've got a lot of training to do."

"Yeah, yeah, tell the others I'll meet them there." When the girl had left he put his hand on Remus' shoulder. "We'll get him out of this, I promise."

Remus sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. "Maybe. You'd better get going before Hall shoves a broomstick where the sun doesn't shine."

James grinned, clapped him on the back and stood up. "Where will you be at Lunch?"

"I need to rest…last night was awful…" He sighed and rubbed absently at a new scar on his wrist. "He's not happy, Prongs, not at all happy."

James gazed at him in pity before swinging his bag on his shoulder and walking away, Remus stood up and went to the Hospital Wing where he would be able to rest in relative peace. He knew that when he slept he would dream and his dreams had been horrifically bloody of late, he dreamt of rending flesh, his mouth filling with blood and it was taking its toll. When he arrived Pomfrey gave him a look of stern pity before settling him down in one of the beds and pulling the curtains, Remus lay in bed and stared across the silent room before sleep dragged him down into blood soaked darkness.

~XXX~

"Dear Merlin!" Walburga gasped, the pile of freshly washed robes fell from her numb fingers as she stared at her sons back.

"What do you want Mother?" Sirius asked in a blank monotone.

"Kreacher has just finished the wash…what on earth happened to your skin?"

Sirius looked at her reflection in the mirror, he stood before his dressing mirror, a bowl of bloody water before him. His hair dripped steadily down his bare chest and made him erupt into goose bumps, a lamp flickered in its sconce on the wall and sent dark shadows dancing across his white face, only his silver eyes seemed to have any life left in them. "I'm away from my pack, when that happens the wolf turns on its self, I attacked myself last night."

Walburga put her hand to her mouth in horror. "How will we ever hide this?"

"My wife will have to be told, there's no way around that…as for everyone else? Well, I'm sure I can think of some excuse." He picked up the wash cloth which had turned from white to pink with his own blood, slowly he ran it over his face to reveal a long line running down his cheek. He sighed softly. "I'll say I was attacked at school, if it's a curse scar it won't fade and it can't be healed."

"Very…very well then…" Walburga backed out the room after putting the clothes on Sirius' bed and closed the door with a soft noise, Sirius gazed at his reflection for a long time in silence. He would one day be unrecognisable, the thought terrified him and he was somehow glad his life was drastically shortened so he would not have to deal with disfigurement for too long. He cleaned off more blood from his arms, each movement slow and methodical as he continued to stare into his own eyes. He had dark circles hanging beneath them, his skin was waxy pale and he had almost forgotten what it was to laugh with genuine humour. Grimmauld Place was once again his prison, he had been so very close to freedom, so close in fact he had had a moment where he could have tasted it, now though the bars were forever sealed on his cage.

Later that evening he was dressed in silver and black robes, the material soft and soothing against his battered skin. He let his hair fall as usual to his shoulders and into his eyes, he took a long look at himself in the mirror and decided he looked the perfect pureblood, the thoughts disgusted him but he kept his mask in place. He went down to the drawing room where one of his potential wives awaited him, Jessie Cora Crouch, cousin to Barty Crouch who worked at the Ministry. He entered to find the seats taken by his mother and father and two women he did not know, after mentally steeling himself and hitching a smile onto his face, he stepped inside. "I apologise for being late, the elf lost one of my buttons." He said as he went to greet his guests. "Sirius Black, at your service Mrs. Crouch."

The older woman nodded as Sirius bowed to her. "Sirius, it is wonderful to meet you finally. This is my daughter, Jessie, she has awaited this moment eagerly."

The girl was a tiny thing with a shy smile and a fall of thick yellow hair, her eyes were the prettiest shade of cornflower blue and she was dressed all in white. Sirius sat down as tea was served and the gruelling hour began where he had to pretend to be straight. "So, Jessie, I heard you were at school in Durmstrang?" Walburga began with an encouraging smile in the girl's direction.

"Yes, I was there for three years. My father was working over there for a while but now he's moved back again." She smiled again and sipped her tea, her eyes lingered on Sirius who smiled politely back. She was pretty enough he supposed, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't imagine them in bed together, unfortunately he was rapidly running out of prospects. He wondered if any of the girls on his mother's list looked enough like men that he would find it easier to shag them when the time came. The talk moved to Sirius' schooling, he answered any and all questions until finally the guests left. Sirius sighed as soon as the door closed behind them and slumped into the sofa, he yawned and felt exhaustion blur his senses.

"Sirius, that was the very last girl…you have until tomorrow to decide and then we will make the official announcement."

"Yes mother." Sirius mumbled, his eyes drifting closed.

"I must admit the Crouch girl is very pretty but she seems far too timid, I much preferred Lestrange."

"She was boring." Sirius said around a wide yawn.

"But she looked strong, I want strong heirs from you young man."

"Of course mother."

"Clara Burke was lovely, but she wears glasses…I also was quite taken by Miss Gamp."

"The red head?" Sirius opened an eye. "She was alright I suppose."

"Sirius, if you're not going to take this seriously I am more than willing to end this farce and you can go live on the streets."

"Yes mother. I'm sorry Mother." Sirius sank further into the sofa, his eyes drifting closed as he tried to fight off fatigue. "…I got on alrigh' with MacMillan…"

"Really?" Walburga looked at her son sharply, she saw how his eyes had closed and his head fallen to one side. "Oh for the love of Merlin, Sirius. Go to bed and stop making the drawing room look untidy!"

Sirius sat bolt upright and blinked in surprise. "Oh…'m sorry, I didn' realise…" He stood and stretched with a groan as his back cracked in several places, his very bone marrow ached dully and his head felt as if it was full of fog. Slowly he trudged back to his room.

~XXX~

Sirius woke to the sound of someone knocking on his door, he sighed and sat up as he rubbed his eyes. "What is it?" He asked.

"Come down stairs this instant, your cousin Bella is here and she has a rather interesting proposition." Walburga called.

Sirius grimaced but dutifully climbed out of bed and slipped on his bed robes, he tied the sash firmly and ran a hand through his hair as he yawned and pulled open the door.

He found his parents and Bellatrix sitting in the drawing room. "Good morning, Sirius, how nice of you to join us." She said grinning broadly. Sirius was wary as he sat down and eyed them, Kreacher handed him some tea.

"Bella was just telling us her wonderful plan." Walburga sipped from her own cup and smiled.

"And what is this plan?" Sirius replied.

"You are having difficulty finding a wife, I believe?"

"I wouldn't say difficulty…"

"But none of these girls are worthy of marrying you, heir to the Black fortune and power. I was considering this for a long time and I came up with something that will solve all our problems."

Sirius lowered his cup back his saucer and gave Bellatrix a guarded look. "What are you proposing?"

"That you marry someone from this family." Bella replied, her smile widened. "I would have suggested Cissy as she is closest to you in age but she has her heart set on dear Lucius, Andromeda is, of course, completely out of the question so then there is only one more choice."

Sirius choked on his mouthful of tea, it took him a moment to regain his composure before gaping at his cousin like a witless fool. "You what?" He exclaimed breathlessly.

"If we marry, Sirius, we can prevent any of those money grabbing fools from getting their hands on what should rightfully be our families fortune. We can continue the prosperity of this great house and continue our line as pure as possible! Don't you see how convenient it would all be?"

"It's insane!" Sirius burst out suddenly. "Not only are you so much older than me but we're cousins!"

"As are we." Walbruga replied sternly and indicated Orion sitting at her side. "When our parents decided we should marry we jumped at the opportunity, the purity of our blood and the survival of this house demands that we marry our own. It is a wonderful idea and we shall announce the engagement as soon as may be."

"Don't I get a say in this?!" Sirius asked as a horrible numbness filled him, he saw his father shake his head and his mother huff irritably and knew with cold dread that he was doomed.

~XXX~

"Is this _real_?!" James gasped, throwing the paper at Remus who grabbed it on reflex.

"Is what real?" He asked, flicking the paper open.

"Go to page four and read the main article on there."

Remus did so and felt his blood turn cold. "This is…this is awful!"

"Awful is an understatement! They're making him marry his first cousin!"

"It's disgusting, they can't reproduce, surely? Their children would be mutated with such close blood."

James pulled a face of pure disgust. "We have to get him out of this, I wanted to take my time but things are getting serious…Bellatrix Black is heartless, she'll kill him just to become the head of the household."

"Then she'll inherit everything, won't she?"

"Yeah…" James sighed and pushed his fingers into his hair. "I'm rapidly running out of ideas here, I need more dirt and more proof…at the moment all I have are a few rumours! Shit, this is really bad…"

"Surely there's a way to stop this…there has to be!" Remus rubbed absently at a horrible scar on his forearm, it had been a deep wound and still pained him at times. The wolf had been angry, so angry it was agony even in human form. He could feel its rage festering in the back of his mind like a whirlwind of pure, unadulterated emotion. It was a struggle to see through each day and he had missed several lessons due to horrible headaches, he wasn't sure how much more he could take. Being away from Sirius was far harder than he had expected, he was left with a huge empty pit deep inside him like a black hole, it sucked in all his joy and spat out misery. "Is there anyone from inside the family who would be willing to give you information?" He asked suddenly, he saw James' head jerk upright and his eyes lit up behind his glasses.

"Merlin! Moony…I think you've just solved our problem!" He grinned brightly.

"Then there is someone?" Remus leaned forward eagerly, he could feel excitement bubble in his chest at the prospect of getting Sirius back.

"Sirius has three cousins; Narcissa, Bellatrix and Andromeda…Andromeda is married to a Muggle, she was disowned and disgraced in the eyes of the family but she's always had a soft spot for Padfoot!"

"That's excellent! Will she talk to you?"

"I don't know but it's worth a try…I'll play up Sirius' plight and hope she can be swayed…We'll get him back, even if I have to kidnap him." James stood on his way out of the dorm and to the owlry. "Just you wait and see, Moons."

~XXX~

Sirius sat in his bedroom reading a book when the door opened to reveal his new fiancé, he turned and put the book aside. "What is it?"

Bella smirked as she sat down on his bed. "I wanted to ask; is it true then? Is it true that you're gay?"

"What does it matter to you?"

"Oh, if I'm going to be your wife one day then I have to know all there is to know about you."

Sirius sighed. "Yes, I'm gay."

"Did you fuck that friend of yours…what was his name…? Potter?"

"That is information I will take to the grave with me." Sirius picked up his book but Bella put her hand over his, she pressed her chest against his arm and their eyes locked.

"Will you be able to make this marriage official? Your mother wants grandchildren from this union and who am I to deny her?"

Sirius licked his lips slowly. "In all honesty? I have no idea if I'm even going to be able to get it up, let alone fuck you."

"Hmm…Shall we give it a try?" She pushed him back down onto the bed and straddled his hips, her hands rested on his chest and she looked down at him through a curtain of dark hair. "I'm sure with the correct persuasion we could get you nice and horny, Sirius. We don't have to enjoy it, I only want to make it official. Call this a mutual legal agreement, if you marry me to make Mummy happy I can become the next heir after you."

"Ah, so that's it." Sirius chuckled humourlessly. "You want my power and fortune."

"No, I don't but there is someone who will find it helpful to have someone other than Malfoy in a position of influence within the Ministry." Something nagged at Sirius' mind, someone who wanted Bella to marry him just for the family power? Who did he know who would want that? Since when has Bella ever done anything for someone else? It was all very odd. She leaned over him, her nails digging deep marks into his partially exposed chest as her lips brushed his. "And if you're a good puppy I'm certain he would make allowances and we could make this a mutually beneficial alliance…what do you say, dear cousin? Will you make a sacrifice to gain so much more?"

"I have no choice, mother is set on us marrying. Do what you will, I don't really care anymore."

"Then let us see if we can't get you turned on enough to consummate this marriage." Bella purred and ran her tongue down Sirius' throat, somehow he managed to hide his shudder of revulsion and cover his eyes with one arm.

"Get on with it then." He whispered. "And don't talk…"

Bella chuckled as she watched him tense, she was sure he was visualising someone else as her hand opened his robes and slid into his trousers. His lips parted a little and he shifted, her smile widened in satisfaction, it was going to be so easy. Everything was going perfectly according to plan.

END NOTE: Yes, Bellatrix is unmarried in this, just so you know. :) And yes, marrying your first cousin is weird and disturbing but not, however, illegal even for us Muggles (or it's not in England. It was made legal by Henry the eighth and has not, to my knowledge, been changed…weirdly enough).


	17. Black Tattoo

_AN: I apologise for the delay in this update, I had an unfortunate accident and lost ALL my saved word files…I had only backed up my original story so I lost a good portion of what I had already written on this chapter. Sorry. :( I have had to begin everything from scratch so it took me even longer than usual. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it and as always I love your comments, they make me an extremely happy author. _

**Chapter Sixteen: Black Tattoo**

The room was full of people, loud voices drifted across the bar as Madam Rosemerta served customers and shared banter. James sat in the corner with his hood pulled low as he stared into his butterbeer, Remus and Peter sat to either side in silence. "Will she come?" Remus asked suddenly, breaking the silence of their little group.

"I'm sure she will." James said.

"Why are we doing this?" Peter asked suddenly, he lifted his head and gazed at James who stared at him incredulously. "I mean, Sirius did it to protect Remus…why should we interfere with that? My family might be on the lower scale of purebloods but we know what the Black's are like. I don't fancy attracting their wrath."

"If we get dirt on them we'll be able to scare them off for good, if not destroy them completely. Peter, you're talking like a coward, stop." James snapped suddenly.

Peter flushed and lowered his head, he turned the bottle in his hands and considered everything that could go wrong with this plan. It was alright for James, he had the impressive power of the Potter family behind him, but he himself had nothing shielding him from the might of the Black's. If they chose to, they could destroy him and his family, grind them into dust and erase them from history, the thoughts terrified him.

The door into the Three Broomsticks opened and revealed a heavily cloaked figure, they turned their hooded head in the direction of the boys and strode towards them. James stood up as the figure threw back their hood and shook out a fall of dark hair and revealed a familiarly aristocratic face, the woman smiled and took James' offered hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Potter, Sirius was always talking about you."

James pushed his glasses further onto his nose. "Nothing bad I hope?"

"No, only a disturbing amount of adoration bordering on creepily obsessive." Her smile warmed as she greeted Remus and Peter.

"Thank you for coming Mrs. Tonks." Remus said quietly as they sat down.

"I wanted to help in any way I can, this news has disturbed me and I can't allow him to bind himself to my sister." She frowned a little before shaking her head and turning her large dark eyes onto James. "So, what is it you want from me?"

"We want to know any information that we can use as either blackmail or to completely destroy the Black's." James said firmly, determination made his hazel eyes flash behind his spectacles. Andromeda eyed him for a while in silence before smiling softly.

"I can see why Sirius loves you." She said softly, James' mouth fell open and she laughed.

"H-How…?"

"He's always talking about you Mr. Potter. When he writes I can see his love through those words, you don't have to worry I'm not as conservative as the rest of my family." Her smile became kind and James flushed but held her eyes. "As for your request I have only one item that would end the Black's…however, you must promise me you will be extremely careful and not mention my name if someone asks where you came by the information. I have a growing daughter and husband I have to protect."

James nodded. "Of course, I understand."

"Good." She rummaged in her hand bag and withdrew a sheaf of parchment and some worn photographs. Remus took them and sifted through them with a small frown.

"What's happening in these?" He asked, pointing to a particular photograph. It showed a young woman kneeling before a tall, cloaked figure with her left arm raised, the figure appeared to have the tip of his wand pressing against the flesh of her inner arm.

"That is Bella, a few years ago we received a visit from some prominent families and my parents and she had some private meetings. I managed to sneak a peek at what they were doing and take some photographs…I am certain the Ministry would be very interested in seeing them but first I urge you to take them to Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore? Why?"

"He will be able to explain. There are also some correspondence there from my sister to certain dark wizards and witches, again, ensure Dumbledore is made aware of them, he will understand the contents." She rose gracefully and replaced her hood. "I do hope you get Sirius back, before it's too late."

"Thank you, Mrs. Tonks."

She gave them all her lovely smile before sweeping off back into the crowded bar and out the door.

~XXX~

The house rang with voices, someone laughed from the kitchen where a buffet had been set up. The door bell rang continually and Walburga greeted guests with a smile and took their coats, Sirius sat in the drawing room and drank heavily. Well wishers sought him out and congratulated him on such a fine choice in bride, he somehow forced a smile and shook hands, kissed family members on the cheek but secretly he felt a bone deep weariness that dragged at his senses. Each face seemed a blur of meaningless colour, made worse by the amount of wine he was consuming. He found that it was so much easier to bare the people around him when he was drunk, he had taken to drinking frequently to numb the creeping despair that filled him each time he looked at his fiancée. The party was in their honour and Bella was working the crowd like a pro, Sirius sat in the corner and downed goblet after goblet until his mind was soggy and the world fuzzy around the edges. He had soon learnt that smiling was easier when he was intoxicated, everything was easier because the alcohol gave everything the cast of a dream and Sirius could trick himself into thinking he would wake up surrounded by the warm arms of James Potter.

A man sat at his side, Sirius returned his smile and drained his goblet, before he could go into the kitchens to get more he felt the man press a glass into his hand. He leaned in to whisper in his ear. "A gift for the Groom to be." He muttered.

Sirius blinked at the liquid in the glass, it was Firewhiskey. "Thanks." He managed and swallowed the drink in one, he felt the familiar burn as the whisky warmed him and turned a smile onto the man at his side. "Who're you then?" he asked, swaying slightly in his seat, the man was young, perhaps a year or so older than Sirius himself and his hands were soft when they shook.

"Bartemius Crouch Junior, at your service, Mr. Black."

"Please, call me Sirius." Sirius replied and his smile widened. The boy had a mop of sandy blond hair and a pale face full of freckles, he was cute although his blue eyes were kind of cold.

"Sirius…" Crouch murmured, his voice low and the soft rumble of his name on those lips made Sirius shiver. It had been far too long since he'd felt the hands of a man on his body…far too long.

"How come you're here?" Sirius asked, trying not to imagine what it would be like to kiss Crouch's full lips, he licked his own and tasted whiskey, Crouch's eyes followed the movement before a small smirk appeared on his face. "Is your father here?" Suddenly it was as if someone had poured ice water down Sirius' spine, the boys eyes hardened like crystals and a sneer graced his face that didn't seem to belong there.

"No." He said abruptly and turned away, Sirius cocked his head to the side curiously, Crouch obviously hated his father…Sirius could relate to that.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." He reached out and put a hand on Crouch's wrist, he smiled his best, most seductive smile and put aside his glass. "I know what it's like to hate." He breathed and Crouch returned his smirk.

A loud burst of laughter shattered the intense moment and Sirius withdrew his hand abruptly, he felt heat fill his cheeks as a wave of guilt engulfed him. He snatched another goblet of wine from Kreacher as he passed and downed it, what would James think if he saw him openly flirting with another guy? What would Remus think? He felt sick and groaned inwardly, he had to reign in his hormones before he did something he would regret. But before he could fully shield himself from making a stupid move he felt a hand on his shoulder, a thumb gently caressing his neck and he swallowed as hot breath caressed his ear. "How about we go somewhere a little quieter? I'm sure no one would miss you." Crouch muttered as he played absently with a strand of Sirius' hair and made him shudder violently.

"I-I…I don't think that would be a good idea, Mr. Crouch, I-" Crouch cut him off when he grabbed his wrist tightly.

"Don't call me Mr. Crouch, it makes me sound like my pathetic excuse for a father…it's Barty…"

"O-ok…"

"Come on, I want to see your bedroom, I've heard its decorated in all kinds of Muggle posters…"

"Who told you that?" Sirius asked as he was dragged to his feet and pulled roughly through the crowd.

Barty looked over his shoulder and smiled deviously. "Bellatrix, of course."

"Oh." Sirius found himself pulled towards the stairs, he had a second's hesitation as his feet touched them but then Barty's hand closed tighter over his and he threw caution to the wind. He took the lead and tugged Crouch to his bedroom, the door opened and he pulled him inside casting hasty spells to secure the door and prevent any sound from escaping.

"Gryffindor? Bet your parents loved that." Barty said as he eyed the banner above Sirius' bed with a smirk and Sirius returned it as he ran fingers through his hair.

"My rebellion may have been short lived but I made sure I made a lasting impression." He said and sat down on his mattress, idly he smoothed the coverlet before turning smouldering eyes on to Barty. "So, now we're here what do you want to do?" He asked huskily.

"Oh I think you already know, Black."

Sirius laughed as he was pushed backwards and hot lips were pressed against his own, he moaned softly and let the kiss happen. Who knew when he would be able to have sex again? He pushed all images of James' face aside along with the guilt as a tongue plundered his open mouth, it was fine. He and James would probably never see each other again, it was for the best.

It was a blur of hands, lips and tongues. Sirius allowed physical pleasure to push away all other thoughts as he fumbled drunkenly with the clasps on Barty's robes, their stuttered gasps filled the room and before he knew it Sirius was lying naked beneath this virtual stranger, as he stared up into cold blue eyes fear returned and he hesitated but Barty's hands worked on his erection and he finally gave himself to ecstasy.

The morning sun peaked in through the windows, Sirius groaned heavily and snuggled deeper into the warmth of the body behind him. His head pounded regularly, as if there was some old man hammering on the inside of his skull with his stick. An arm snaked around his waist and he felt someone breathing against the back of his neck, he was still half asleep when a soft smile spread across his face and he murmured: "Moony…"

"Who's Moony?"

Sirius opened his eyes and went very still, his brain was sluggish as he tried to think of some excuse, some way of passing his mistake off but he couldn't. "He's…he's er…"

"An ex?"

"Um…yeah, I spose you could say that."

Barty ran the flat of his palm slowly up Sirius' chest and placed a kiss on his shoulder, Sirius turned his head to look at him through a curtain of hair. "I can make you forget all about him…" He muttered and smiled sweetly. "Bella told me about you, she said that you'd need some persuasion in the bedroom when the time came, so I offered up my services." Sirius tensed as his hand slid lower, fingers tangling in the hair at the base of his awakening cock. "We can work it to our advantage and no one ever need know what we do behind closed doors, Bella isn't interested in having a sexual relationship with you, you know that and considering your reactions last night I doubt you're too bothered about it…we can have some fun, what do you say?"

Sirius cocked his head to the side and rolled over to see Barty's face properly, it would perhaps make everything easier If he had a distraction in the form of another man, so long as they kept it hidden from the public it wouldn't do any harm and he already had many secrets, what was one more? As he ran his hand over Barty's bare chest, gently tugging the blond hairs there he thought of a face that had consumed him mind all through his affair the previous night, a friendly face with brown hair and dark chocolate coloured eyes. He closed his own and tried will the image away but with it came a rush of animalistic affection and an all consuming arousal he could barely control. Finally he felt fingers beneath his chin, his head was lifted and a hot mouth pressed against his. He breathed the name that had been coming to his lips all too easily recently, a name he whispered into the deep darkness as he wrapped a hand around his own cock. "Yes…" He muttered, moving his body closer, pressing his erection against Barty's. "Make me forget everything, please." His voice held a bitter bite to it but his moan was devoured by that hungry mouth as he was rolled onto his back.

~XXX~

Remus woke with a gasp, eyes wide as he stared blindly at his curtains. His heart was pounding in his chest as early dawn light crept in between the gap in the bed drapes, he swallowed the hard lump of fear in his throat and, without another thought, leapt out of bed and pushed open his curtains. He ran to James' bed and stared down at his dorm mate. "James!" The boy groaned and rolled away from him, showing a bare shoulder which Remus took in one damp palm and shook slightly. "James Potter!" Still the boy mumbled softly and rolled away from him, getting angry he leapt onto the bed and swotted him over the head. "PRONGS! WAKE UP!" He shouted and James gave a start.

"Wahissit?" He muttered and rubbed at his eyes, slowly they focussed on Remus and he blinked a little in confusion. "Whass goin' on? It's bloody early isn't it?"

"There's something wrong!" Remus gasped, he could barely control the surge of panic flowing through his system as he relived the dream. "Sirius is in trouble!"

"What?!" James became alert in an instant, his eyes sharpening as he grabbed his glasses from his bedside table. "How do you know?"

"I…I saw it…In a dream…" Remus faltered seeing the dubious look on James' face. "Look, when I claimed Sirius I forged a bond between us, a magical one and sometimes emotions and images can bleed through into the others mind, we've shared dreams before but this was…this wasn't an ordinary dream…" He bit his lip and silently begged James to believe him, James rubbed his forehead, a frown darkening his face. "I dreamed that Sirius was being seduced by someone who was…well…who had some kind of hideous tattoo on their arm-" James snorted in disbelief but Remus shook him by the shoulders. "I'm not joking!" He snapped and James went quiet, Remus rarely lost composure, he was always most proficient at hiding his emotions and seeing him so distressed was unnerving. "The tattoo was a skull with a serpent protruding from it's jaws…I-I don't know what it means but it's not a good thing! We have to rescue Sirius before the serpent eats him!"

"Look…if Tattoo's could eat people Muggle's would never get them, neither would Wizards, magical or not. What you dreamed was just a manifestation of your fears, you're scared that Sirius will be destroyed by his family, who are probably represented by the snake. Calm down, we can go to Dumbledore today if you're so afraid and show him the stuff we got from Andromeda Tonks but we can't lose our heads to fear, we wouldn't be doing anyone any favors."

Remus hadn't considered that, the dream had felt as real as any other he had shared with Sirius, he had felt Sirius' pleasure through his bond and even heard his name whispered into the swirling darkness as the serpant slithered from the jaw of the skull on the other man's arm. It had twisted around Sirius' body as he writhed beneath the stranger, eyes glazed and dark with pleasure, his moans slowly growing louder as the snake curled around his left forearm and formed the same tattoo as the stranger wore. Of course it was just a dream, no one caught tattoo's, it was a silly idea. He shook his head and took a few deep breaths. "Yes…yes of course you're right, James." He breathed and relaxed his grip on his friends shoulders. "I was overreacting."

"We all do it occasionally, I'm scared for Sirius too but with this information we can save him and we'll be together again, I promise." He smiled and Remus looked into his familiar face for a long time.

"What about afterwards?" He whispered quietly, his eyes concealing his emotions with practised ease. "What will we do?"

"What do you mean?" James asked, although he thought he had a pretty good idea.

"You and Sirius…you were born for each other, any blind man can see it. But…but the wolf will never let Sirius go, he'll destroy me and him If worst comes to worst…what can we do?"

James looked away, his hands dropping from Remus' shoulders as they fell awkwardly to his sides. "I think it'll have to be up to him to make the decision, Remus." He whispered. "We'll have to make him, I know it's cruel but…but we can't let it destroy our friendship!" He looked at Remus and put his hand on the back of his head, he dragged their foreheads together and they both closed their eyes. "You're my best mate, Moony, I don't want us to fall apart…"

"Me neither…but I'm afraid, James. I'm afraid that if he chooses you it will ruin everything…I can't hold back the wolf for much longer, he's clawing at my skin, trying to force his way out even now…He wants to challenge you for the right to mate…he wants to kill you."

James opened his eyes and smiled weakly. "Well, I can't let him do that now, can I?" He muttered and Remus returned his smile nervously. "We'll work something out, mate, we have to."


	18. Plans Unveiled

A/N: This is a chapter surrounding Sirius, I will return to his friends in the next one but this chapter was important. I hope you enjoy. :) Please R&R and I love all those who have so far! (The plot is reaching it's crescendo!)

**Chapter Seventeen: Plans Unveiled**

Walburga smiled as her son descended the stairs, behind him was Barty Crouch Junior wearing a spare pair of Sirius' pyjama's, her eyes narrowed in suspicion and Sirius paused with one hand on the banister. "Good morning mother." He said politely but there was ice in his tone.

"Good morning, Sirius…" Her eyes moved to Barty. "Young Mr. Crouch, I didn't expect you to still be here this morning." She said graciously, yet there was still suspicion in her eyes.

"I apologise Mrs. Black, Sirius and I got talking last night and we had a lot in common and before I knew it the time had got away from us so he let me stay over. I know it was impolite not to ask you first but by the time we had decided what to do you and your husband were already asleep. He lent me some pyjamas and I slept on his floor." He smiled guiltily.

Walburga's face cleared instantly and she bowed her head. "Your father is a very prominent ministry member dear boy, we are glad to have you beneath our roof." She missed the anger in his eyes as she turned towards the drawing room. "If you would like to stay breakfast will be served soon."

"Thank you, Mrs Black, you're most kind."

"Not at all, it would be a disgrace if we were seen to mistreat the son of the man who is headed for next Minister for Magic."

Sirius sighed when she was gone, he felt Barty's hand brush his own, the gesture gentle and slightly possessive. "That was close." He breathed and heard his lover chuckle.

"I've been lying to my parents for years, this is nothing."

Sirius smirked and cocked his head to the side. "Why would you have to lie to your parents? From what I've heard your mother is a lovely woman."

Crouch's eyes softened and he sighed. "Yeah, she is…" He said and began descending the stairs. "But there are some things about me that would kill her if she knew, it's best she never finds out."

"Hmm, tall and mysterious, you're sounding more and more interesting by the second. Will I ever get let in on these secrets of yours? I'm curious about that tattoo on your arm…"

Crouch turned and gazed up at him from the stair below, he smiled slowly and reached up to run a finger down Sirius' cheek. "All in good time, Sirius. We can't have the mystery blown away too soon, can we?"

Sirius grinned. "I look forward to it, Barty." He purred and saw Crouch's eyes darken and he licked his lips.

"I think we'd better get some breakfast or your mother will get suspicious." He turned away reluctantly and Sirius followed, Barty seemed alright, he thought as he followed the boy into the drawing room where his parents awaited them. He was strange and sometimes sent thrills of fear down his spine but there was also something attractive about him, something dark and insubstantial. On top of that they had so much in common it was a little scary, they both had family they hated with a passion and they both had dark secrets they were protecting. As he ate some toast he recalled the previous night, the feel of hands running over his scars, a soft whisper in his ear telling him that they didn't matter, that they were proof of bravery and nothing to be ashamed of. Sirius had found the thought oddly comforting. He smiled into his tea, perhaps his path wasn't quite as lonely as he had first thought.

That night Barty returned to his home and Sirius went to bed alone, as he lay beneath the sheets his mind drifted to his friends, with the memories of their faces came a wave of pain and regret. Barty had served the purpose of a decent distraction but with him absent he was forced to dwell on those he loved. He closed his eyes and lay on his back, his sheet tangled around his middle and his arm flung over the top of his head. He could see Remus' eyes, dark brown but ringed with amber, they glowed in the darkness with a warmth and passion that still ate at Sirius' soul. He sighed heavily and rubbed at his face with both hands. He missed James too, it hurt to imagine him in the arms of another but when he imagined it it didn't hurt nearly as much as imagining Remus with another. He was filled with an insane sense of possessive jealousy at the thought until he thought he would be sick, he tried to push the images away but they came back clearer and clearer until he couldn't stand it any longer.

That night he dreamed…

_The world was dark, the ground beneath his bare feet barren and sandy, he lifted his eyes to the sky and could see nothing but a sheet of complete darkness. He shivered and tried to get warm but he was naked and alone in the night, he felt fear stab at his heart and he fell to his knees in the grey dust. He lowered his head and pushed his hands through his hair, slowly he rocked back and forth as he felt his own terror crushing the life from him. His friends were dead. His family hated him. No one would, or could, ever love him. He was broken. He was alone and filled with debilitating terror. Why hadn't he been able to see his folly? Why hadn't he taken the path his parents had set out for him from the beginning? Fighting only brought death and pain. It was pointless. He couldn't protect anyone, he was weak and stupid and had no power to prevent the destruction of his whole world. He hitched in a silent breath and tried to scream, simply so he could hear his own voice, but everything was silent. He could feel his breath leaving his lungs but no sound reached his ears. Darkness and despair weighted him down until he was on all fours, trembling with cold as a silent wind pulled every drop of heat from his body. He could see his tears falling to the dusty floor, they were sucked into the barren ground before his eyes. _

Please, someone help me…

_His lips formed the words but he couldn't hear his voice, panic was strangling him, he could hardly draw breath as hot liquid stained his cheeks. He dug his fingers into the barren earth as he struggled to regain control but it was useless, he was helpless against the terror and darkness all around him._

H-Help me…someone…a-anyone…Jamie…James…Please!

_It began like a mutter on the breeze, a caress of warmth on his cheek and Sirius lifted his head as silver light fell across his shivering body. Hanging high above him in the sky was the bright moon, fat and round and full, its edges glittered like so many diamonds. The light was warm upon his flesh, he felt it giving him courage, he knew it should be something he feared as each time it came it tore his body to shreds and left him with scars but somehow he wasn't afraid anymore. He sat up on his haunches and lifted his hand, it covered the moon so silver threads of light shone between each of his outstretched fingers. _

Moony…

_He whispered and felt strong, comforting arms surrounding his body. He closed his eyes and leaned back into that embrace, he could feel breath on his neck and soft lips whispering against his skin; I'm here, Padfoot. Don't let fear get to you, we'll find you and take you back even it's the last thing we do, I promise you!_

_Don't leave me._

_I have to. I'm sorry…_

_No…please…_

_Sirius, this is a dream, nothing more._

_I-I know, just please, stay with me! I don't want to be alone anymore!_

_I know, and you won't be for much longer. We'll get you back!_

_The voice was fading along with the sensation of being held tightly, those comforting arms were being blown away by the wind. _

_No! No, Remus, please don't go! Please don't! I Lo-_

Sirius gasped as he was jolted violently out of his dream, he blinked rapidly in the dark of his bedroom as his heart hammered in his chest. He swallowed a few times to help calm himself before sitting upright and pushing both shaking hands into his sweaty hair. "Remus…" He whispered and closed his eyes, attempting to recapture the feeling of being loved once again. "Hurry."

~XXX~

A week passed in a blur of colour and a flurry of activity. It seemed to Sirius as if he were the only one stood still while everyone around him moved past, he was left behind to lurk in the shadows and watch those who lived lives in the light. He drifted through the house like a ghost, his mind full of fog and usually empty of emotions, on the occasions that Barty returned they went to bed together and Sirius woke from his living dream as colour and feeling and warmth returned to him, he threw himself into the affair with reckless abandon, he didn't think when Barty's hands found him and he revelled in the feeling of freedom, even if it was only an illusion.

One of these evenings, Barty was running his tongue over Sirius' throat, his finger tips found the bite mark on his shoulder and he pressed upon it gently. "What did this?" He whispered hoarsely, pausing in his slow, regular thrusts.

"Nn…" Sirius closed his eyes and blocked out the sight of Barty's eyes as he imagined he was with another. "N-Nothing…Just…got into an accident, who cares?"

Barty smirked but Sirius missed the knowing twinkle in his cold blue eyes as he arched his back in pleasure. "Don't worry, nothing you say will make me desire you any less…you have a fantastic body, and you certainly know how to use it."

Sirius opened his eyes and wrapped his legs around Barty's waist, he pushed a hand through blond hair and smirked. "Is that all I am? A pretty toy for you to play with?"

"It doesn't matter, this is hardly an emotional relationship, is it?"

"True…Now, I want you inside me."

Barty grinned and kissed Sirius deeply. "Always happy to oblige, Sirius."

That night Sirius was woken by a hand on his shoulder, he blinked sleep from his eyes and yawned widely. "What is it?" He muttered and rolled over to see Barty standing by his bed, he was fully dressed in black robes and a cloak.

"I want to introduce you to some people, put on some robes and a cloak."

Sirius sighed. "What time is it?"

"Nearly midnight, we don't have much time."

When Sirius was dressed he was led from the house to the trees opposite, the shadows moved and when they were stood beneath them Crouch grabbed his arm and spun them both into suffocating darkness.

When Sirius opened his eyes he found himself stood in a dark clearing, he turned on Barty with a frown. "Where are we?" He asked and Barty merely smiled. Very soon there were loud pops as more and more people began to appear in swirls of black robes, there was quiet muttering as they greeted each other and Sirius could feel their gazes like blades in his back. With each new appearance they began to form a circle surrounding Sirius, he turned on the spot, Barty had faded back into the mass and he felt fear race through him as he searched faces and only found glittering skulls gazing back at him. He swallowed and looked up at the sky where the nearly full moon gazed upon him, its silver light bathing everything in silver.

Once the circle was complete the soft mutters died away like a breeze and one end parted to reveal a tall, cloaked figure. The figure stepped into the circle and seemed unperturbed as it closed behind him, he moved to Sirius' side and Sirius saw two points of crimson hidden deep within the shadows of his hood, he couldn't stop his feet from making him back away. A cold, spider-like hand grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip and held him in place. The figure turned to the watchers and raised his free hand as if asking for silence, all eyes flicked between the pair of them and Sirius swallowed nervously. A cruel wind picked up and blew Sirius' hood from his face, he felt cold to the core and couldn't help but shiver as the man holding him began to speak. "Welcome, friends." His voice was strange, high pitched and cold like the wind. "I have gathered you all here this night to hear of your reports and also to perhaps bring another to our ranks…" Whispers stirred the watchers and they stared at Sirius with glittering eyes hidden behind hood and mask. Sirius tried to tug his hand free but the grip tightened until he was forced to his knees with pain, his bones creaked and groaned and he gritted his teeth tightly. "You will kneel, boy." The voice hissed and Sirius had no choice but to obey. "Now, your reports my friends. Tell me what the old fool Dumbledore has been doing to thwart Lord Voldemort's plans."

Sirius was released as the reports were given, most of the information went right over his head, it involved people he was only vaguely aware of but some of it sounded important. He rubbed his wrist and tried to stand but an invisible force trapped him on his knees, soft laughter ran around the circle and Sirius felt his face heat with embarrassment and anger at being treated like a servant. Finally the last messenger stepped back into his place within the circle and the tall man held up his hands for quiet to descend, it fell immediately. "I am sure that all here are curious about our little guest, his name many of you will know. He is of course, Sirius Black, heir to the house of Black. A pureblood of lineage as ancient as my own, me being Slytherin's heir. He has been the ridicule of many over the past years but appears to have finally come to his senses, I wish to welcome him into our fold as future head of his house and to celebrate his joining with Dear Bella." He beckoned and one of the figures stepped from the circle, leaving a gap. The man calling himself Lord Voldemort strode towards the figure and removed the mask, Sirius uttered a surprised gasp as Bellatrix's face was revealed. Her eyes glanced at him before returning to her Lord and Master, she fell to her knees and kissed the hem of his robes.

"Master, it delights me that you acknowledge our engagement. You honour me and my future husband."

"There is nothing more delightful than the joining of two purebloods, Bella. Now stand and go to your fiancée."

Bella bowed low before straightening and going to Sirius' side, she helped him to his feet and gripped his wrist so he couldn't escape. He stood there feeling as if someone had turned a spot light on him, the moon cast everything in silver light and dark shadows and gave the illusion that the skull masks were alive. He shuddered violently and felt his cousin's finger nails digging into his wrist.

"As you all know I only bestow my mark upon those I deem worthy," He paused and looked at Sirius from the deep shadows of his hood. "However," He said and grabbed Sirius' robes in one hand, with a flick of his wand Sirius' robes tore open to reveal his chest, he flushed with humiliation and tried to cover himself up but Bella gripped his hands and held him still as Voldemort gazed at the old wounds. "This…creature is not even human."

There were hisses and whispers, cruel remarks quickly stifled behind hands and cold stares as the crowd took in the marks of ownership all over Sirius' exposed flesh. He shuddered and closed his eyes, humiliation and fear stung his cheeks and made them burn, his skin erupted into goose bumps and he clenched his hands into fists and let his head fall forward and hide his face. "My Lord…"

"Yes, Bella?"

"Please, forgive this one." Bellatrix said softly, her voice wheedling. "He may be a filthy mutt but he is still of pure blood and could be useful for future plans. Perhaps he could work under Greyback to bring the Werewolves to your side."

"Indeed, this is true, Bella. And what use would I have for him when I sit within the heart of the Ministry?"

"By then, my Lord, we could afford to allow some Werewolves to survive…if they are special cases."

"I shall think on it," He said and lifted his hand to Sirius' shoulder, there was the ring of teeth marks where Moony's fangs had sunk deep and marked him. "Bring me Greyback!"

Arms surrounded Sirius in a choking embrace as two black clad figures detatched themselves from the circle and moved off on Voldemort's command. He struggled violently but stopped when a wand was jabbed painfully into his throat. "Hush now, we wouldn't want to do anything to spoil those good looks before our wedding day, would we, Siri?"

"Why?!" He gasped, swallowed hard as fingers tangled in his hair. "Why would you do this?"

"Because the Dark Lord can bring in a new and brighter future for us, Sirius. He can put us, purebloods, back in our rightful place and stop the decline of wizarding kind! Don't you see it? If he takes over we can finally be raised above the Mudblood filth and bloodtraitors that currently dictate our actions…If you only do as he says then you two will be raised high."

"But I don't-"

Bella cut him off with her hand over his mouth. "Quiet, if anyone hears your unhealthy views on Muggle rights you'll be killed far too soon."

Sirius went limp in her arms, he felt helpless and confused. He was trapped and hemmed in on all sides by men who would kill him as soon as look at him. And the man leading them all, the one who was called the Dark Lord, seemed the dangerous and powerful of them all.

A little while passed and the moon moved on overhead, finally the two messengers returned with a third person on their tails. "My Lord, we brought the werewolf."

"Excellent. Greyback, welcome." Beyond Voldemort Sirius could see a stooped figure but ti was the smell that hit him first, he withdrew automatically as the man stepped closer.

"You called and so I came, M'Lord…" He scented the air and growled in his throat, Sirius felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and felt himself bare his teeth threateningly. "You have another here." Greyback's yellow eyes found Sirius who was now bound by magical restraints, he grinned to reveal sharp teeth, half rotted and yellowed even in the light of the moon. "A cub." He said with wicked relish, he licked his lips and advanced on the unmoving form of Sirius, he crouched before him and grabbed a handful of his hair, he began sniffing his throat and his fingers found the claiming marks left by Remus. "You do realise that this one is mated and bonded?"

"No I did not." Voldemort seemed mildly curious as he stepped up behind Greyback, the werewolf stank of blood and something rotting, Sirius recoiled but the hand tangled in his hair prevented much movement.

"Indeed, he stinks of another male. A big one, jealous of all others…but it is a weak scent as if he has not been with him for a while…I can smell another scent, the scent of someone in this circle."

Sirius closed his eyes as Greyback's feted breath caressed his exposed throat. "Get off of me!" He growled but Greyback merely laughed.

"I can tame him for you, My Lord, if that's what you wish."

"I do indeed. How much time will it take?"

"It depends on how strong he is, it could be one full moon or longer."

"Do it." Voldemort waved his wand and Sirius fell forward, Greyback grabbed him and lifted him off the floor as darkness crept into his mind. "Take him to your pack and ensure he becomes obedient, but make sure you leave his face intact, we wouldn't want Bellatrix to be forced to wed a mutant."

"My Lord, it would not matter to me." Bella whispered fervently as Sirius sank deeper into an enchanted sleep. "He is only worth his seed and his name, once we are wed and he has given me children he will become useless to me and you."

Sirius felt Greyback's chest rumble with a soft, content growl. "Then can I have him?" He asked hopefully. "If he becomes useless to you, My Lord, I would willingly take him off your hands…he's still practically a child…"

"Very well, I will give him to you when he becomes useless to my plans."

All this soon became meaningless noise as Sirius was carried away on a tide of deep sleep.

_END NOTE: I am unsure if Barty's part in all this is very clear, if not I apologise and give an explanation here: Barty is there to lull Sirius into trusting him, by shagging him and generally being nice he has made Sirius think he's an alright guy but actually he's on Voldy's side, in this way he has managed to lead Sirius out of his home and basically into a trap, Also, I hope Bella's plans have no become obvious now. I hope that's explained it all. :) Thanks for reading, until next time!_


	19. Trapped

_AN: Ok, I hope you're all still enjoying this, I apologise for the short chapter but I felt it needed to end there or it would have turned sour and repetitive. :( Thank you for all the interest you have shown so far, read and review! :D_

**Chapter Eighteen: Trapped**

Dumbledore surveyed the three boys sat before him over the tops of his fingers, he smiled invitingly and James Potter took a breath. "Sir, I think we've found a way to get Sirius out of his engagement." He said and pulled out a sheaf of parchments and letters from his pocket, he placed them on the desk and sat back again.

"I say, you have been busy." Dumbledore said mildly as he took up the first photograph, he paused and the boys felt the mood in the room change as his face became grave and serious. "May I ask where you procured these?"

"From And-OW!" Peter winced as James' foot collided with his ankle.

"Shut up!" James snapped. "Our source doesn't want to be named, sir."

"I quite understand, these are some most…revealing items that should be handled delicately. You did well in bringing them to me."

"Sir?" Remus said suddenly, he was looking sick and pale, his eyes gave the impression they had sunk into his skull due to the heavy black smudges beneath them. His skin was pale and unhealthy looking and his hair was limp, over all he looked like he was on deaths door and felt it too. "Can you tell us what's going on in those pictures?"

Dumbledore paused and once again scrutinised the boys carefully, as if gauging whether they were mature enough to handle the truth. Finally he gave a nod. "There is a man who is calling himself Lord Voldemort, he wishes for purebloods to rule over all other kinds of people. He would abolish the statute of secrecy and make Muggle's aware of our existence and make them our slaves. He is also a Dark Wizard steeped in the darkest of magic that has twisted and corrupted his soul. In short; a very dangerous man. I and many other witches and wizards have been taking pains to restrict his movements, so far we have managed to prevent him from coming to light, however, we are now struggling to contain his doings and many of his activities have found their way into the public eye. Lord Voldemort has been responsible for the number of mysterious deaths and disappearances that have been on the rise for many years now. The Ministry has been intent on keeping much information from the public to avoid causing panic, much to my chagrin. I think that he wields more fear in the dark than he would in the light but that is neither here nor there now, it seems that he is making moves to recruit more followers and his power is growing beyond anything we have ever expected. These photographs show that Bellatrix Black has become one of his followers, see here," He pointed one long finger at the image of Bella kneeling with her left arm raised to the cloaked figure. "He is bestowing upon her his mark, it is a way to distinguish his followers and control them. The Dark Mark is a tattoo in the form of a skull with a snake rising from its open jaws, it is a powerful and dark symbol."

Remus' eyes widened in shock, James' mouth fell open slightly as he turned his head to look at his friend. "But…in your dream you saw the serpent transfer onto Sirius' arm!" He exclaimed.

Dumbledore looked at the boys sharply. "What is this?"

Remus explained the dream, leaving out the more intimate details. When he was done Dumbledore stood and began pacing. "What is it sir? What could it mean?"

"It could mean anything or it could mean nothing, however, I think the fact that you dreamt of something that you have never seen before makes me think that Sirius is in grave danger. I would not put it past Voldemort to recruit Sirius, although because of his affliction I suspect that he will be given over to the other Werewolves he has under his command."

"He has Werewolves?" Remus asked quietly.

"Indeed, they have been working against the Ministry, each of them have been raised to hate Wizards, they have been fed lies and adapted truths to make them blind and wrathful. The pack is led by a man named Fenrir Greyback."

All the hairs on the back of Remus' neck stood on end and he tensed, his eyes slipped out of focus as he remembered over hearing a conversation between his father and his boss in the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures department…

"_John, I understand your fears, I really do but we need someone to investigate Greyback as he hasn't reported in for months now. All these children going missing is of great concern to the Ministry and we must check all possible suspects, he is a known child biter. There's no one else I would trust with such a mission."_

"_But Mr. Shaw, I have a son! He's only just turned five and I simply cannot risk putting him in any danger…"_

"_He will be fine, John, it's just a routine check up after all."_

He remembered seeing his father come home that evening, he seemed on edge, his eyes nervous and haunted. He closed all the curtains and placed strong enchantments upon the door. Remus remembered watching him sitting by the door with his wand in his hand, he stood at the top of the stairs and could feel the black miasma of fear seeping from his father. For a week his father protected the house, refusing to allow Remus outside to play, even in the daylight. He was in a state of high agitation until finally his wife managed to force him to stop his vigil and come to bed early, that night the wind howled and the sky was lit by the bright moon. Remus was woken by a noise, the sound of scratching at the front door. Curiosity had woken in him and he had crept past his parents room where they slept on blissfully unaware of the danger stalking their house, he dragged his stuffed teddy behind him as he went to the door and heard the low growls from outside. He stood there in hall way, clutching his bear tightly as a massive shadow paced back and forth outside. Minutes passed before the shuffling footsteps faded away, just as Remus was calming his heart there was a shattering noise from the living room as the window was busted inward. Glass flew glittering through the thick night air and the biggest wolf he had ever seen crouched like a hulking monster in his living room. His screams had woken the beats from its stunned state and it had charged, and Remus remembered no more.

Remus jerked as James put a hand on his shoulder. "Moony, are you alright?" He asked in concern, Remus shook himself physically and nodded but he could still feel that name echoing in his memory and the fear it brought with it constricted his heart.

Dumbledore gave him a swift, searching look before smiling kindly. "How are you feeling dear boy, you look as if you have been trampled by a heard of angry fire crabs?"

"I'm…" Remus opened his mouth to say 'fine', but it wouldn't come so instead he lowered his head and pushed a hand into his hair. "I'm tearing myself apart trying to hold back the wolf, sir…I-I don't know how long I can live like this…he needs to come home! I need him! If we're not together we're both going to die!"

"Remus, we will get Sirius back, I promise you." Dumbledore said calmly and Remus looked up at him, his eyes scanned his face and slowly he nodded. "Pomfrey has given me detailed reports on your health and I know it is rather serious but I am certain we can reunite you with your mate once again."

"T-Thank you sir." Remus rasped but he couldn't find it in himself to smile.

James eyed his friend, he knew he was feeling the effects of Sirius' departure but he hadn't been aware the situation was that serious. He decided he would get the full truth from Remus that evening. "Sir, what about the photographs? Can we use it to free Sirius?"

"That is dependent upon his situation, if he is currently free then it will be easy to hand these to the Ministry and get the Engagement nullified, if he is imprisoned then we must act accordingly. I will try to find out the details through my contacts and we will go from there, until I contact you boys I do not want you doing anything rash. Continue as if nothing is amiss and try to focus your minds on your school work."

They left the office thinking that it would be extremely difficult to forget about Sirius and concentrate on their school work but they said nothing as they descended the moving staircase.

~XXX~

Sirius woke to freezing water being thrown over his head, he gasped and sputtered violently as rough hands seized him and yanked him to his knees. He felt weak and woozy as if he hadn't eaten in a very long time, his head was full of fluff and his thoughts were distorted and incoherent. His eyes moved slowly around, he was in a small metal cell surrounded by several others, from their scent he could tell they were just like him. Before him stood Greyback, he smiled when he saw that Sirius was awake. "Welcome to your new pack, cub." He growled and Sirius struggled weakly against his captors, they laughed and some crawled closer to sniff at him.

"Smells like Wizards." One spat and revealed his teeth in a snarl, Sirius imitated him instinctively and more laughter echoed through the cell.

Greyback crouched and grabbed a handful of Sirius' hair, he yanked his head back roughly and bared his teeth. "I know the one who mated with you." He said and Sirius stilled in his weak struggles, his eyes widened and his face drained of what little colour it had. "Oh yes, the little brat escaped me but with you here I know he'll come back. He, like you, belong with us…you belong with your own kind! Why bother trying to live beneath the boot of those who would oppress us?"

"Remus would never join you!" Sirius rasped, his throat was horribly dry and he desperately wanted a drink of water.

"I have a plan for that eventuality, he will have no choice but join us or I will force you to kill each other." He grinned and revealed his vile teeth, slowly he leaned forward and breathed his stench on Sirius' face. "It would be such a shame to waste such sweet flesh." Slowly he ran a nail down Sirius' throat which bobbed as he swallowed his fear, he knew that he was far outmatched, he was surrounded by Werewolves and none would think twice about tearing him to pieces. He had no wish to die, but if it was a choice between his death and Remus' he knew which path to choose. For the first time in a very long time Sirius felt all the clouds blow away from his vision, before him he could see the road lay out for him and he took the first step without any hesitation. He would die before he allowed Remus to endanger himself.

He struggled and felt claws dig deep into the bare flesh of his arms, he growled threateningly and glared at Greyback. "You will have to kill me!" He muttered. "I would never harm Remus, even if it was my life or his! I will die for him!"

"Such Nobility, I would have expected nothing better from one who has lived in the light for so long…but unfortunately by the time your mate comes to find you, you will no longer recognise him." Greyback smirked and stood, Sirius was released and without thought he leapt at the older man. Something pulled him up short and he was flung backwards into the wall of his cell with a metallic crash, dizziness swept through him and he shook his head and blinked rapidly. "That chain is powerful enough to bind a fully fledges werewolf, you have no chance of escape. It will sap your strength and your sanity, tonight you will change when the moon floods this cell and you will feel what true pain is. Soon you will be begging me to release you, you will bend your head to me and submit before this night is through…and It will give me the greatest pleasure to initiate you into our pack." He grinned and left Sirius alone.

Sirius turned to the back of his cell and looked up, he could see the sunlight through his bars and knew that he didn't have much time before the sun set. He slumped against the wall and huddled in on himself, drawing his knees to his chest as he gazed disconsolately at the floor. He was naked except for the heavy magical manacle trapping his right leg, the chain of which was secured in stone. There was no escape. He buried his face in his knees and sighed softly, awaiting the inevitable. "Remus…" He whispered into the empty cell. "Don't come for me…please…stay away!" He shivered as the cold penetrated his bones, he couldn't stop the fear from prickling his skin and for the first time in his life he wished they would simply kill him.

~XXX~

Remus opened his eyes and stood up, he ignored his aching limbs and turned to gaze out of the window of the shack. Somewhere, in the distance he could hear a howling. A violent shudder ripped through his body as the moon filled the room of the shack with silver light, agony seared his body and he stumbled backwards but he managed, somehow, not to lose his footing. His hearing picked up the sound again, several voices all joined in unison as they greeted the newly risen moon, something stirred deep within his body and he gave a soft groan. Even as the flesh on his bones rippled with the change, he somehow managed to listen for the only howl that mattered to him…

And there it was. One voice in many that made his heart swell even as it was torn apart to be re-formed. He took a breath and couldn't release it as agony forced him to his knees with a soft thud, he gasped as the howl of his mate turned into screams of pure agony. The voice was distorted and the sound horrific. "S-Siri…Sirius…" He growled, his lips peeling back from his teeth as he threw his head back and screamed at the moon.

~XXX~

Sirius could hardly move, he could feel sunlight filling his cell but his whole body was throbbing with agony. His fingers twitched as his door was opened but when he tried to lift his head he couldn't. No change he had experienced had felt like that of the previous night, it was pain beyond anything his body had ever experienced. Each breath he drew was like breathing in sharp blades of ice, the tiniest movement sent bolts of agony but if he tried to scream his throat tore and he merely spat blood. He shuddered violently and tried to fade into unconsciousness. The only good experience of the previous night had been when he had heard the distinctive call of his mate, it had stirred something primal within him and he had been filled with the desire to find him but no matter how much he fought, no matter how much he scratched and bit at his restraints the metal would not yield. Now he was paying for the mistake of fighting against the wards etched into the metal around his ankle, one of his fingers was broken and throbbed dully as he lay perfectly still in a growing pool of his blood. He was certain that a normal human being would not survive such wounds, however the regenerative healing powers of the wolf worked to his advantage and the wounds had not killed him.

Sometime later he was lifted from the floor by strong hands and burning liquids were poured down his throat, spells were muttered over his battered body and slowly he felt strength return enough for him to sit up. He was placed against the wall so he had some support and he found himself face to face once again with Greyback, the werewolf sat down and scratched his head. "How did it feel little cub? Did you enjoy your pain?"

Sirius swallowed but forced a grin, it must have looked as deranged as it felt as some of the others shifted uncomfortably. "It was wonderful." He croaked, "Very nice wake up call."

"It seems that this will take more than a single full moon…you will remain here until the next full moon, if you are not trained by then then we will have to hurry along this marriage." Greyback stood. "Get him food and water, we can't have him dying on us. He's important to the Dark Lord's plans after all…I am going to enjoy breaking you, Black." He grinned and left and Sirius allowed himself a small wince as his ribs throbbed, he sighed and let his head fall forwards so his chin rested against his chest. "Moony, stay away from me. Don't come looking for me…they'll kill you…please…" With that prayer on his lips he fell into a fitful sleep.


	20. Rescue Plans

_AN: I will warn all readers that this chapter is dark, however, I did state in the description of the story that it would go this way. I hope it is up to my usual standards, and I hope you enjoy it. :) _

**Chapter Nineteen: Rescue Plans**

Remus lay in the Hospital wing as Madam Pomfrey bandaged and spread ointment on his various wounds, he winced but no sound escaped his lips. She silently worked, knowing that Remus wouldn't want to be lectured on his health in that moment, it pained her to see him in such a state and she felt responsible for his welfare as she did all her charges. Remus was a lovely boy and did not deserve such terrible afflictions. She ran her usual diagnostic tests and tried to keep her face professional as she analyzed the results, his body was weakening rapidly, already his organs were failing him and more often than not when he came back from the shack he was suffering severe internal damage. The change was wreaking havoc on his mind as well, he was falling asleep in class even when it wasn't a full moon, he was continually getting bad grades and didn't seem to care and he would skip whole days simply to sleep. Yet there was little she could do except keep him comfortable, no magic in the known world could save him now except the return of his mate.

James lay on his back in the very centre of the Quidditch Pitch, he stared up at the steely grey sky with his arms spread out to his sides. The clouds were pregnant with rain and he could smell it in the air, he took a slow breath and let it out again as his mind was filled with questions he had no answers to. Sometimes, when he found himself dwelling on Sirius he felt an almost overwhelming urge to scream. The ground beneath him was cold but he didn't want to move, he could no longer face returning to Hogwarts to pretend that everything was fine, he could not walk those corridors and know that every second he was safe Sirius was in potential mortal danger. He rubbed at his face beneath his glasses as he considered his options, they were few. He felt unreasonably guilty, Sirius had been begging him since they had first started going out to have sex with him but he had refused right up until the very end. If he had conceded earlier perhaps things would be different? Perhaps he would now be lying in his dorm bed so thoroughly entangled with his boyfriend that he could no longer tell whose limb was whose. He wanted to be feeling those familiar, demanding lips, that soft satiny hair in his hands, he wanted to hear Sirius say his name…but he couldn't. Sirius was far away, he could be doing anything, his life could be in danger but he would never know. He remembered their first kiss, it had been a clumsy affair with clacking teeth and nervous tongues but somehow it was all the sweeter. As he lay there with his broom stick by his side he felt the first few drops of rain on his face, it was cold and he shivered but somehow it was refreshing. He closed his eyes tightly and ran both hands through his hair so that it stood up in crazy spikes, he closed his eyes tightly as water splashed his face and glasses, the rain was refreshing and he felt as if it was washing away all his terror. He sat up and tipped his head back as the heavens opened and rain poured from the sky, it soaked his shirt and turned it see through, it caught in his hair and made it glitter, he shivered as lightening tore the sky in half and suddenly his eyes opened. It was as if he was seeing clearly for the first time in years, he stood up slowly and picked up his broom, his eyes hardened behind his spectacles as he took a few steps forward. Without looking back he strode purposefully towards the castle that seemed to loom through the deluge of rain and mist, thunder cracked open the silence of the grounds, light flashed and illuminated the road before his feet and each step was determined. He had to save Sirius, he had to save Remus…even if it meant giving up his own happiness. "Hold on, Siri, I'm coming to get you." He whispered to the lightening and stepped into the castle.

Peter listened to James but could hardly digest what he was saying, it was pure insanity. He looked to Remus to try to see what he was he was thinking but as usual it was impossible to read his face. James finally stopped speaking and Peter stared at him in utter disbelief. "Are you insane?" He gasped suddenly, blue eyes wide.

"Probably but what kind of friends stay hidden in safety when their best friend is probably being tortured and bullied as we speak? How can you or I sleep soundly at night when Sirius is probably screaming? It's our duty to him to try and rescue him!"

"B-But what about the pictures?" Peter asked nervously.

"We can have the engagement nullified with them as soon as we have Sirius back and safe." James said, he was dripping wet as he sat in one of the uncomfortable Hospital Wing chairs beside Remus' bed. Remus, for his part, had been silent throughout James' insane plan, he sat on his bed with his knees drawn against his chest and his head bowed but now he looked up and blinked as if he had only just woken.

"It's madness!" Peter breathed, fear made his voice tremble and it sounded high and squeaky like his rat Animagus form.

"It's not." Remus said softly, he looked at James with his dark, liquid eyes that still held that amber ring around them. "It's the best plan I've heard in a long time, I'm coming with you James."

"But you're sick, Remus…"

"I don't care. If I don't see Sirius soon I'll just continue getting sicker until the wolf finally kills me…I need to do something! Don't you understand?"

James paused and gazed at Remus for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I understand perfectly." He said and never had he meant his words more. "Right, Peter, are you in?" Two pairs of eyes turned to the other boy who felt as if he'd been pinned to the spot, for years he had always done what James did, he had tagged along with the other three marauder's like a little lost lamb and he had allowed himself to be dragged into every single one of their little ventures but this one wasn't just some silly school prank that would lose them house points and detentions, this could mean their lives. He wasn't so sure he could do it, he sat for a moment and looked nervously from one to the other as fear overcame him. James looked away suddenly but Peter couldn't miss the disappointment on his face, he felt the sting of that and suddenly sat upright.

"I-I'll go." He croaked and went pink as James flashed him a smile, a smile that said he had known all along what Peter would do. The first flicker of resentment flickered in his heart as he realised he had been manipulated.

"Knew you would, Wormy." James said and grinned. "Now, what's our plan of attack?"

Remus took a slow breath. "They're keeping him somewhere in Hogsmeade." He said and James looked taken aback. "Last night I heard him, I heard his screams and his howls…there's nowhere else he could be."

James frowned a little. "Then that means that it could be a trap."

Remus smiled. "Of course it is." He said and turned to look out the window, he idly played with the threads in his pillow case. "When I was younger my father was sent to talk to the Werewolf names Fenrir Greyback, he insulted him and in revenge…" Absently his hand went to the oldest scars, they covered his chest and right arm in a mass of twisted tissue, a permanent reminder that he was a monster. "He found and attacked me, I was rushed to St. Mungo's and they managed to save my life…already the wounds were healing rapidly as the curse infected my body…I was five years old and didn't realise until recently that it was my father's fault I'm a monster. And now I can feel Greyback out there, like a shadow on the edge of consciousness…I can feel him waiting and wanting…it's me he's after, he has no real interest in Sirius other than as bait to lure me to him."

"Then you shouldn't go! Just let us-"

Remus cut James off with a smile. "No, this is something I have to face. I have to see him with my own eyes, I have to see the man who turned me. I don't know why, but I know I can't forgo this."

Reluctantly James nodded. "Alright then, we'll take the cloak tonight after curfew and go out the Shack way, very few people know about it and we're less likely to get caught. We'll go into Hogsmeade and find Sirius then help him escape."

"What if…what if he's already dead?" Peter asked.

"He's not." Remus replied.

"How do you know?"

He smiled. "I can feel him, he's my mate and we share a bond deeper than any human relationship. He's mine and I'm his, I'm sure he can feel me too."

"Then it's settled, Remus, meet us in the hallway at midnight, the coast should be clear by then." James stood and stretched. "Get some rest, we'll need all our strength."

Remus nodded and watched James and Peter leave, he lay back and stared up at the ceiling, a hard, determined gleam entered his eyes and deep in his subconscious he felt a satisfied growl. _We will bring him back, little human._

_Yes, yes we will. _With a smile Remus closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

~XXX~

Sirius tore at his shirt with shaking fingers, he could see his own blood splashing the stone beneath him as he roughly bandaged his left arm, he hissed through his teeth as pain swept through him and threatened to make him pass out again but he made sure to bind the wound tightly. He couldn't afford to lose any more blood, last time he had lost consciousness for so long that Greyback had been forced to give him a blood replenishing potion to drag him back from the brink of death. He wished he had died then, it would have made everything easier, Remus would be free to bond with who he wished and James could marry some sweet girl, perhaps that Evans girl he had liked in their first year. Everyone would be so much happier with him dead, but something kept him living, some tenacious part of himself held desperately onto life like a drowning man clinging to a rock far out to sea. He shivered as a cold wind entered his exposed prison, he pushed dirty hair from his eyes and gazed down at his arm, blood had already soaked the bandage and he sighed softly. He hardly had any shirt left and his body was covered in horrific scarring, his finger nails were bloodied and broken, his eye was bruised, he had twisted his ankle as he had fought his captors as violently as he could. Even though he could feel his strength ebbing away, his fighting spirit slowly being eroded as they drew the screams from his lips with knife, wand and fist he fought. He punched, kicked, bit and struggled. He did everything in his limited power to stop his captors from inflicting more pain on him, but it only seemed to make things worse and he could feel himself weakening. Each hour his strength ebbed, his mind drifted on grey fog as blood trickled from between his lips and claws dug deep into his flesh, some nights he could only lose consciousness as the agony became too much, he fled his dark reality to the green fields of his imagination. In his dreams he was safe, in his dreams he could fall into the warm embrace of one he loved, in his dreams he could laugh, he could run free…but each time he awoke to new pain, to new tortures. He would open his eyes to be faced by the grinning face of Greyback and once again his screams filled the air.

Sirius slumped against the wall of his prison, he pressed his burning cheek against the cool metal, it was swollen and red from where he had been hit and the metal soothed it. He lifted his left arm and stared at the poorly bandaged wound through his greasy fringe, they had used a knife to carve some horrible mark into his arm and left him there to suffer. Their laughter still made his whole body flush with heated anger and humiliation. He wrapped the fingers of his right hand around it tightly and hissed air through his teeth as pain assaulted his nerves, but he used the pain as a focus point. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and growled low in his throat when his eyes opened again they were gold. They would pay. They would regret causing him suffering. He would make sure they screamed for holding him down and humiliating him, he would laugh in their place as they screamed. One day he would get his revenge. It was this thought more than anything else that kept him going, it was the knowledge that one day he would retrieve his wand and make them suffer the same way he was suffering now that made him open his eyes every day. He was chained and rendered helpless as Greyback stood above him with his sick grin, he was forced to his knees as they made him a toy for their perversions. And so Sirius swore to himself that the day he got free, he would make it his life's mission to ensure at least one of them got a taste of their own medicine. After all, he _was_ a Black and Black's were insane.

When his prison door opened Sirius looked up, his eyes were dull and dark as if no soul resided behind them and slowly, with great difficulty he forced himself onto his bare feet. He swayed on the spot but held his head high as Greyback entered looking as if his birthday had come early, his eyes swept Sirius' rag-clad, battered body with glittering eyes. "Here's your lunch, cub." He growled and kicked a bowl of grey slop towards Sirius, there was no cutlery only the wooden bowl. Sirius' eyes flicked to it and returned to Greyback's, he held his gaze but said nothing as other Werewolves entered the cell and began stalking Sirius with leering eyes and feral grins. Sirius swayed again but somehow kept his feet, he swallowed the bile that rose to his throat and continued to stare Greyback in the eyes, he knew it would cause nothing but more pain for him for challenging the Alpha of this pack but Sirius couldn't abide the idea of lowering his head to the creature. Disobedience was all he knew, he could no more submit to Greyback than submit to his mother and father. "Still defiant, huh?" Greyback chuckled and moved closer, he grabbed Sirius' hair in one fist and, before he could do more than gasp, slammed his head into the wall and made stars erupt behind his closed eyes. Sirius wobbled and fell sideways as he was released. "Bring me a knife, let's teach this wilful cub who the leader of this pack is." The knife was put into Greyback's outstretched hand and Sirius was dragged down to his knees before him, the pack leader grabbed a hank of his hair and pressed the blade to it. Sirius struggled, he remembered a heated whisper in the dark; _I love your hair, Siri, don't ever cut it short. _Terror ripped through him as he fought with every ounce of his being, they were going to cut his hair. They were going to make him bald and ugly, who would want him then? All coherent thoughts left him along with rationality, he struggled until something hard hit him in the jaw and he went limp as colour leeched from his vision. As he lay, slumped in the arms of his captors, he watched as long strands of his hair was sheared away and left to float to the floor around his knees. He groaned and closed his eyes, blocking out the terrible sight.

By the time they left him he was partially bald, he lay in a crumpled heap surrounded by his own hair as he buried his face in his arms. He forced back the tears that threatened, he couldn't cry. He couldn't let them get to him. He refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing him break. He would at least wait until dark when he knew they slept, as he had done every night since his capture. He would curl into a ball, on the pretence of keeping himself warm, and he would let a few tears fall into the fabric of his sleeve. He would allow himself a few minutes of luxury and he would give in to black despair, he would concentrate his whole being on familiar faces and hot embraces, he would will himself to be back in warm arms, to see those smiles again…until they came to listen to him scream once again.

_END NOTE: At the end of this chapter I know Sirius cries however in his situation, who wouldn't? He does not allow his captors to see his weakness, he hides it from them but he is only human and still basically just a kid so he has to indulge in tears at some point. Let us hope that James, Peter and Remus can save him! I hope you could be so kind as to let me know how you think the story is progressing, we are slowly drawing closer to the climax and the end of it and I would love to know what you think. :) My eternal thanks to those who have commented/faved etc, you are the reason I continue to write. *Bows low*_


	21. Escape

AN: I'm a little bit nervous now as I have stopped receiving any reviews at all on this story. :/ If I have done something that has put people off or if I have made an error then I would appreciate it if someone would tell me because I cannot see it. The reason I write fanfiction is to improve my own story telling abilities and in turn improve my original story that is currently being worked on, if I do not receive constructive criticism I cannot improve at all. So, I would be so very grateful if you would let me know if improvement is needed, or if there was anything you particularly liked about a chapter…I will not accept random trolling but I do need concrit. Thank you. :) I hope you enjoy my story. (How many times can I say 'Improve' in one paragraph? Lol) I must also apologise for the length of this chapter, it's my shortest one yet and I know it's just that I cannot write another word as I am utterly exhausted. :( I will make my next few longer, I promise.

**Chapter Twenty: Escape**

James threw himself onto his bed furiously, he glared up at the canopy for a second before rolling over and punching his pillow. Peter sat down on his own bed as Remus sank onto his. "Fuck!" he growled angrily. "I can't believe they saw through us!"

"Dumbledore's a clever man, he knew we'd try to escape and help Sirius ourselves." Remus said softly, he was looking grey, his skin had a pinched look as if he was coming down with the flu and the whites of his eyes were slightly yellowed looking. He reached into his robes and withdrew a potion in a green bottle, popping the cork he took a mouthful and swallowed with a disgusted wince. James had asked him an hour before they had been caught trying to escape Hogwarts, if Sirius was suffering as much as he was and Remus had simply nodded sadly.

"I think it's for the best." Peter said mildly as he began getting into his pyjamas. "We were lucky we weren't given detentions and had house points taken from us."

James growled and sent a furious glare at his friend. "House points? Detentions? They're meaningless! It's all so trivial! Sirius is being tortured and could be dying even as we sit here safe and comfortable behind walls and spells! It's disgusting!" He fell silent and buried his face in his pillow, once again he tried to keep his thoughts from drifting to his friend's plight, it pained him grievously to think of Sirius in such danger but he was stuck and the teacher's would double their guard and limit their chances at escape.

~XXX~

Sirius had lost all track of time in his prison, he lay on the cold hard floor and gazed up at the ceiling imagining the sky. When he slept he dreamt of someone with burning amber eyes and sometimes he would dream that he had grown wings, great big wings that he could spread and leap up into the bright clear sky to soar amongst the clouds. In those dreams he was happier than he had ever been in his waking moments. When he woke it was to find nothing but stone and iron surrounding him on all sides. Each morning he woke to find a bowl of grey slop had been pushed through the bars, he was so hungry that he ate it without much thought to manners, he ate using his fingers to scoop the tasteless stuff into his mouth. When it was time for his cell to be cleaned he was trapped against the wall with magic and forced to wait until his guardian had removed his waste bucket, he would watch from his position pinned against the wall with blank eyes and when he was released he curled himself up into a ball and took to staring out through the hole so he could see the sky and imagine freedom. His mind was generally blank, he had almost forgotten what decent food tasted like, he had forgotten what it was to live a life free of pain and humiliation. Some nights, as he lay plagued by nightmares, he forgot his own name. He was treated like an animal and simply survived by taking each day as it came, he had no future, he had no past, he simply existed.

When they came for him he still tried to fight but his strength was waning rapidly, he was drugged with potions and tortured with spells. He was tied to the wall as they stripped him naked and laughed as they plunged burning blades into his flesh, Greyback watched all this with mounting irritation. He was waiting for something, waiting for Sirius' mate to come and try to rescue him. He knew that Sirius would not truly be broken until he watched his mate claimed by a bigger, stronger werewolf, it was the only way to get him to submit. No matter what kinds of torture they devised Sirius continued to stand tall, even though he had long ago forgotten how to use his voice for anything but screaming. He would watch them with dark eyes, his head held high as they advanced on him, he would meet Greyback's gaze without a flicker of fear and even as he voiced his agony to the roof top he never once backed down and gave himself up to the pack. Sirius Black was much stronger than Greyback or the Death Eaters had given him credit for. A week ago Sirius had locked away his soul deep inside himself, he was running on nothing but instinct now as he tucked away his emotions and humanity somewhere no one would ever find it. He protected his sanity by hiding it and became an animal, using each day to do nothing but live, to not think about his situation, to forget friendly faces that would torture him into insanity long before the separation of his mate killed him. He soon learnt that they could only hurt his body, so long as his mind was kept safe and warm inside his heart, so long as he allowed his inner wolf to surface and act as a shield for his human self.

Greyback had noticed that Sirius' eyes had changed colour, they had been grey buy now they were a deep, piercing amber. They were no longer the eyes of a human being and this change made him uncomfortable, Sirius was unpredictable, some days he would viciously attack his captors, tearing at skin and hair with ragged nails and sharp teeth. Some days he would simply sit in a corner and stare at them in silence. Other days he would crouch in a corner and growl at them all, baring his teeth in a feral snarl as he warned them off, only Greyback himself could approach him when he was in this state, he did so cautiously and hit Sirius with a spell before he could attack. He was certain that the boy was ruined beyond redemption, he hadn't spoken a word for a long time, he paced his cell sometimes on all fours and his nails and hair were filthy and caked in blood and dirt. He was little more than an animal in a human body, the transformation was fascinating and Greyback took to sitting outside the boy's cage and watching him intently, if he approached too close his wand would be in his hand and he would make the boy yelp and back off. It was like taming a wild wolf, he had never enjoyed himself more. Eventually Sirius became used to his presence and took to seating himself directly opposite Greyback and simply staring at him with those haunting liquid toffee eyes.

One day Sirius ended up coughing blood, his body was wracked with great shudders that made his flesh crawl. He was on all fours as he coughed, his body flushed with heat and he finally collapsed in a heap. He lay still and gazed up at the roof of his prison through blurry eyes, for the first time in a long time he thought of Remus. Somehow he understood that he was dying and he knew it had little to do with the daily torture, his body was shutting down, his organs too weak to cope with the loss of his mate. He sighed and closed his eyes, he would welcome death if it meant that he could escape.

~XXX~

For weeks the Marauder's tried to escape the castle, but they were caught each and every time. James became ever more agitated as Remus' health declined, he collapsed during Defence and had to be carried to the Hospital Wing by their teacher. Pomfrey was surprised that the boy was still standing, his body was collapsing as the strain of the loss of his bonded slowly destroyed him yet he was continuously caught attempting to get out of Hogwarts.

One day, when everyone was supposed to be in morning lessons however, the three friends managed it. They left the castle using the little known passage way through the statue of the humpbacked witch and got into Hogsmeade. Remus' health improved the moment they reached Honeydukes, they huddled under the cloak and his breathing became easier as the wolf woke inside him and scented the air hopefully.

_He is near._

Remus agreed and followed James up the stairs and into the shop proper. They would find him. He swore to himself that no matter what they would find him and escape. He couldn't take another moment of being away from Sirius…he was so close he could smell his scent on the wind.


	22. Scarred

AN: Last chappy! :O I will probably add an epilogue as I know that I have yet to wrap up all loose ends in this story but for now I hope this satisfies. :D Enjoy! Thank you to everyone who has commented so far, you're amazing! I have lows and highs with my writing and sometimes I just want to chuck the whole story, so your reviews have kept me going! Thank you so much. :)

**Chapter Twenty-One: Scarred**

Sirius lay on his side with his eyes closed, the floor was cold against his burning cheek but it felt good. His mind was blank as he concentrated on each agonising breath as it wheezed in and out of his bruised lungs, he shivered and curled into a tighter ball as he felt light creeping across his cell as night drew ever closer. His skin was pale, his body covered in bruises and marks of the constant abuse he had been suffering, he was vaguely aware of the pull of the approaching full moon and it made his bones ache. As the light began to turn gold he felt something prickle at the edge of his senses. His eyes opened slowly and he stared at the wall, he could feel a tug deep in his heart, like a distant call of some long forgotten friend. He felt warmth flow through his body, his finger tips began to tingle and slowly, very slowly he lifted his head and turned to look out the small crack that served as a window.

Highlighted by golden sunlight were three faces, faces Sirius knew as well as his own. He forced himself laboriously onto all fours and crawled towards them. His hand reached through the bars of his cage and he felt another hand grab him. Fingers entwined and Sirius gazed into Remus' face. "R-Remus." He croaked, his voice cracked and broken but a small smile spread across his lips and he felt a bubbling joy fill the emptiness inside his chest.

"Shit Sirius…" James' voice was choked with emotion as he gazed down into his best friends face, he was white and covered in bruises, his lips were chapped and bleeding even as he smiled at them. "What have they been doing to you?!"

Sirius merely blinked at them, his eyes dark but his smile never faded. Remus gripped his hands tightly in his own, his nails digging crescents into the thin skin. "We're going to get you out of here." He said. "Just wait for us, where's the entrance?" Sirius turned his head and looked to his left, he pointed with his free hand. "Wait for us." Remus whispered and reluctantly released Sirius' fingers. "We'll get you out of here."

Sirius' hand fell back to his side as his friends stood and moved away, he watched them go feeling numb. His knees gave out and he fell to the hard floor as he curled up and waited in silence.

XXX

The entrance to the small hide out was hidden behind an outcropping of rock, it had been quite a climb up to that point from the base of the mountain but they had followed Remus' senses and found Sirius without many problems. James gazed at the heavy steel door and noticed that it was open a crack, he frowned slightly. "Remus, this is a trap." He muttered and Remus nodded.

"I know." He said and walked towards the door way, he looked back over his shoulder at James and smiled. "Sirius is in there and there's no other way in."

"So, we spring the trap." James replied with a mad grin. "Sounds like a stupid idea, I'm in." He followed Remus and the shadows parted before swallowing them whole. Peter stood nervously by the door, shifting from one foot to the other before abruptly turning into a rat and scurrying after his friends.

It was little more than a cave gouged into the mountainside and reinforced with steel, to either side of them were what looked like prison cells, each one empty and open. They walked down a path lined with torches set into walls at sporadic intervals, the flames flickering eerily and sending shadows dancing and weaving around their feet. James and Remus both kept tight grips on their wands, they continually checked their backs in case they were being followed and each foot fall seemed abnormally loud in the stifling silence. After a while Remus gasped and broke into a run, he stopped before a cage and fell to his knees. "Sirius!" He hissed and gripped the bars.

James hurried to his side and saw his friend sitting before Remus with dark, dead eyes. Yet there was a smile on his lips and he reached out to touch Remus' face through his prison door. "Siri…" James muttered and Sirius turned his eyes onto him. "Stand back, I'm going to blow the door." He said and lifted his wand, Sirius gazed at him for a moment before standing and backing away. Before James could so much as utter a single syllable there was a low growl, all the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he slowly turned around. A tall grizzled man stood before them, he was grinning insanely as he locked gazes with Remus.

"And so the wayward cub returns to his pack." Greyback growled menacingly. "Welcome home little one."

"We're taking Sirius and getting out of here!" Remus said softly, his wand up and pointing into the Werewolf's face.

"Oh no…You seem to be under the impression I'm going to let you walk away." Greyback leered at Remus in a way that made James feel sick. "I'm going to force your little mate in there to watch as I take you, he'll watch and scream as I show him who is really stronger. Then I will watch as you both break. Very few people understand that a Mate-Bond can be broken by a larger, more powerful wolf taking the Alpha of another pack…I can show you how it's done." Greyback's grin widened as he advanced on Remus who held steady under the man's hungry gaze. "Aren't you scared?"

"Not of you." Remus muttered and gave his wand a sharp flick, Greyback easily deflected the spell but before he stepped forward again Sirius threw himself at the bars of his prison, growling and snarling furiously.

"Touch him and you will regret it!" He said in a rough voice full of venom.

"And what will you do? You're trapped in there." Greyback was faster than Remus had expected, he reached out and grabbed his wand arm, tightening his grip so that he was forced to drop his wand. He felt his arm wrenched roughly behind him and up his back, he cried out and was forced roughly to his knees. Sirius began searching desperately for an escape, his hands bruising as he hammered at his prison doors.

James hesitated before pointing his wand at Sirius' prison and muttering a spell, the door sprang open and he felt rough hands grab him and force him to his knees. Someone grabbed a handful of his hair and he felt it part with burning scalp. Remus was on the floor, struggling frantically as the thin shaft of sunlight slanting into the prison through Sirius' window disappeared. Animalistic noises filled the air as the two Werewolves struggled, sharp growls, yips and yelps mingled with the rough laughter of the one who held James in place.

Then, as if someone had changed channel on a muggle Television, the noises changed. James froze as he watched Fenrir go stiff, Remus' eyes widened and he stopped fighting. His back arched as agony tore through him, a scream erupting from his throat that shattered the abrupt silence. The moon had risen.

James was so focused upon the figures before him that he had forgotten about Sirius, when cold fingers closed around his arm he let out a strangled yelp before he was wrenched roughly out of his captors grip. He gasped and had time to widen his eyes as he was thrown unceremoniously into the empty cell, his wand clattered in after him and the doors closed with an ominous clang. "S-Sirius!" He gasped as he saw his friend doubled over in pain, one hand upon the stone wall. His nails, which were elongating even as he watched, gouged lines deep into the rock. More screams joined those of Remus and the grunts of Greyback who still had him pinned. Slowly Sirius straightened as best he could, the other werewolves were writhing around, heedless to anything but their own transformations. James watched from the safety of his cell as Sirius used the strength of the wolf to rip a bar from a neighbouring cell, he gasped and stumbled, nearly falling but somehow managing to regain his feet. With slow, steady movements he inched his way towards his mate.

"I…Will…have you…" Greyback snarled furiously as fur sprouted across his face, his fingers dug deep into Remus' arms and he could feel blood trickling across his rippling flesh. He was beyond coherent speech as the full effects of the transformation consumed every nerve. Then, vaguely, he saw a shadow loom up behind Greyback. Something shiny swished through the dense, fetid air and there was a loud crack. Greyback swung around, releasing Remus to swipe a clawed hand at his attacker. There was a familiar cry before once again that swish and crack. This time Greyback fell into a heap and Remus felt another consciousness overtake him.

~XXX~

"R-Remus? Sirius?"

"Nng…" Remus groaned heavily and rolled over onto his other side. His body ached in a familiar way as he tried to make the blurred memories of the previous night make sense.

"Remus!"

"Ugh…" Slowly he opened his eyes and revealed a sunlit cavern, after blinking a few times he forced himself to sit upright and turned his head to the left. James was crouched before him, unharmed and looking concerned. "Jamie?"

"I'm fine." He smiled weakly to prove it. "Sirius saved me by locking me in this cage then you spent all night pacing before it, guarding me from the others. I couldn't change in such a confined space, Prongs would have panicked."

"Oh thank Merlin for small mercies!" Remus sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. He looked down to see Sirius curled up in a tight ball, his hair covered his face but he was breathing steadily. "C'mon, let's get out of here before the others wake up." He whispered and stood unsteadily.

"Here…" James handed him his own cloak before bending down and hefting the unconscious Sirius into his arms, he was very concerned by how light he felt. Together they left the stinking Werewolf hideout.

Once out in the sunshine Remus turned and pointed his wand at the big door, with a string of whispered words he sealed it shut so that none could escape. He smiled weakly and turned to follow James back down the hill side to Hogsmeade.

~XXX~

"I'm very sorry Mr. Potter but if he's refusing visitors then I am forced to follow his wishes." Pomfrey said sternly, her arms folded over her chest.

"But…but why would he refuse to see me?!" James asked, he had been trying to get in to the Hospital Wing to see Sirius for three days since they had returned from rescuing him.

"I am not at liberty to divulge that. Now, go away before I get your head of house…I hear you have been put in enough detentions already."

Sulkily James turned away, he had no choice. Remus too had had no luck in getting to see their friend, which he found very odd considering all that they had done for him. Sirius wasn't the type to be ungrateful, his actions were badly out of character and it made him worry. When they had returned the teacher's had been waiting for them with a terrified looking Peter hovering behind them, James had given him the silent treatment for two days afterwards as punishment for ratting them out. Dumbledore had taken Sirius straight to the Hospital Wing and Remus had had his wounds tended to before they had been sent to McGonagall. They were given a stern, but not pitiless, lecture before she had sighed and given them a swift smile. Although they had been out of bounds and put themselves in danger, she had understood why they had done it and merely given them a month's detention each instead of expelling them. Since then both Remus and James had spent their time hanging around outside the Hospital Wing and milling aimlessly around the school in the hopes that Sirius would regain consciousness and they could see him, finally they had been told that he was awake but refused to allow anyone to see him.

Each passing day made Remus nervous, he couldn't settle to any task and took to gazing blankly out the window as he wondered if Sirius was ok. He had to see him. Eventually his desperation won out and he borrowed James' cloak and snuck silently from the dorm one blustery night.

Outside the Hospital Wing he pushed open the doors gently and slipped inside, slowly he began creeping up the rows of beds until he found one that was surrounded by curtains. He began to move towards it, his hand stretched out to move the curtains aside and see the occupant of the bed when suddenly a low growl made him freeze.

"I should have known." Sirius' rough voice reverberated with anger. "Remus, go back to the tower and leave me alone! I said I didn't want any visitors!"

Remus gazed at Sirius' shadow behind the white curtains, he felt his heart clench in pain and bit his lip nervously. "Why? We're your friends, of course we would want to see you!"

"No…no we're not friends anymore." Sirius' voice cracked a little and Remus watched his shadow huddle in on itself.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Remus said angrily. "Sirius, we have found a way for you to escape this stupid contract your family has you in, you can be free! We can go back to the way things were before!"

"We can never go back. Never." Sirius' voice dropped to a pained whisper and Remus felt the wolf take over, his hand rose of its own accord and he ripped back the curtain. Sirius gasped and turned his head away so it was hidden behind shadow and hair. "Get out!" He snarled.

"No!" Remus replied. "I'm not going anywhere! You're acting like a spoilt child!"

"I'm not! Just…just go away! Please! I-I can't let you…no one can see me! N-Not like this! Not anymore!"

Remus growled softly before leaping onto the bed and grabbing Sirius' hands before he could cover his face, roughly he forced Sirius to look at him. Silence filled the room until the only sounds were their breathing and racing hearts. Remus gazed long and hard into Sirius' familiar silver eyes, it took him a long time to realise what it was he was seeing. Slowly a tear slipped free of Sirius' eye and trickled down his cheek, Remus watched its progress as it slid over ridged and deformed flesh. "Shit…" He whispered as Sirius' face crumpled.

"Get off of me!" Sirius struggled for a moment before Remus released him, he buried his scarred face into his hands and stifled a sob. "I'm hideous." He breathed.

"Sirius…"

"Greyback…when I hit him with that pole…h-he took a swipe at me with his claws…I…I've lost the sight…I-in one eye…I…I don't know if I-I'll ever get it back…"

Across the left side of Sirius' face were three long scars, each one crossing his left eye which was now slightly milky from the damage the attack had done. Remus felt pity well up inside him, not even he had scars like that and Sirius had done to protect him. "Oh…oh Sirius, I'm so sorry!" He breathed.

"I'm ugly." Sirius' voice was dull and monotone but he refused to raise his head.

"No!" Remus snapped furiously. "No…never ugly!" He grabbed Sirius' face and forced his head up so their eyes met. "You'll always be beautiful to me! Sirius, I…I think I might…L-love you…"

Sirius wrenched himself away and glared at Remus angrily. "Stop that! You can't love me. The only reason we're together is because of the wolf. It's the wolf talking…just…just forget about me! Forget and…and move on with your life!"

"Sirius, I wish you would listen to me! This is embarrassing enough without you trying to be 'noble'!" Remus grabbed Sirius and held him tightly, ignoring his struggles and desperate denials. "This isn't the wolf talking, Siri. It began that way, yes, I'll admit that but…but for a while now I've been feeling things that have nothing to do with him. You make me so angry I could scream, you make me want to do nothing but kiss you…I want to hold you, to wake up beside you every day! These aren't the feelings of a supernatural entity! Sirius, I'm so in love with you it hurts."

The silence rang with Remus' embarrassment and nervousness, Sirius froze in his arms and spoke slowly, as if not daring to hope. "B-But…but I'm…I'm scarred now…" He breathed in a tight voice.

"Why would I care about that?" Remus replied. "You've seen my scars." Gently he lifted Sirius' head so they were once again looking at each other. "It's not just your face, Sirius…You've got a beautiful soul."

Abruptly Sirius laughed, a bright bark that made Remus jump. "That's gayer than me!" He giggled, falling backwards to lie on his bed. "You sure you haven't grown a vagina while I wasn't looking?"

Remus flushed but couldn't stop a grin from hovering on his face. "Yes, well…however girly it might sound, unfortunately it's true."

Slowly Sirius' fit of laughter faded and he stared up at the ceiling panting a little. "Remus…?"

"Yes?" Remus looked at his friend nervously.

"I think…I think I might love you too…just a little."

Remus beamed as joy radiated in his heart. "Really?"

"Really." Sirius whispered and gave Remus a lopsided grin. Remus leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to the puckered, rough flesh that now covered half of Sirius' face.

"It'll fade a little, Sirius…and you will get your sight back, I promise."

Sirius smiled and wrapped Remus in his arms, he closed his eyes tightly. "I hope so."

"Trust me." Remus replied and smiled into Sirius' hair.

"I do."

James silently closed the Hospital Wing door with a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "I hope you're happy…both of you." He whispered.

"Potter!"

He jumped and spun around to see a girl glowering at him angrily from the stairs, her hands were on her hips and a red and gold badge glittered from her chest. "Evans!" he said in surprise.

"You should be in bed, it's way past curfew!" She snapped and folded her arms across her chest, her green eyes flashed in the near darkness and James felt a curious swooping sensation in his stomach, a small grin surfaced and he stepped towards the girl.

"I apologise, I was just checking on Sirius."

Lily paused and her face softened. "Oh…well…I suppose I can forgive you this once, but only if you get your arse straight back to the common room."

James flashed her a handsome grin and pushed a hand into his pocket. "Would you like to escort me, Miss Evans? I might get lost."

It was fast but James didn't miss it, Lily's lips curled into a tiny smile before she schooled herself into an appropriate expression. "Alright." She said in a falsely exasperated voice. "Come on then."

James chuckled and loped up the stairs, together they walked back to Gryffindor tower.


	23. Epilogue

AN: Bit of a short chappy but I think it ends nicely, if a bit sappily. :p I am in a happy mood so the story has a happy ending, sorry, lol. I hope I have tied up all loose ends but if I haven't please let me know and I will see if I can't change it. Thank you to all those who have read and reviewed I am most grateful! I hope you enjoy the ending. :)

**Epilogue**

Sirius sat in a chair and shifted uncomfortably, across from him sat the Head of Family Law Ms. Grumpage. She was a kindly woman but seemed to be a dithering at times. He kept his eyes facing towards her desk even though he could feel several sets of eyes boring into the side of his head, they belonged to his parents. His mother had been ignoring him with admirable determination while his father ground his teeth so loudly Sirius could hear it from six feet away.

"Now then, we have gathered you here today to discuss the engagement of young Mr. Black and Miss Bellatrix Black." Ms. Grumpage said, her face was crumpled into a small frown as she gazed down at the papers before her. "We have here proof that Miss Black has been involved in…some rather dangerous and dark magic. She has, unfortunately, been arrested and will soon stand trial for several crimes. Because of this Mr. Black wishes to nullify the engagement…"

"But the contract is binding!" Orion growled furiously.

Ms. Grumpage adjusted her spectacles and smiled. "I'm afraid that if one of the Fiancée's has been caught committing acts which are against the law then the contract can and must be broken. All we need is Sirius' signature and yours." She pushed some papers across her desk and Sirius picked up a quill in a shaking hand.

"This is outrageous! How could you do this to us, Sirius?! What have we done to deserve this punishment?!" Walburga sniffed and dabbed at her eyes with a hanky, Sirius looked at her before dropping the quill. Slowly he reached up and pulled off a bandage he had wrapped around his face to hide the scars.

"This. This is why I want out." He whispered, looking Walburga directly in the eye. "Because of Bella I was lured into a trap, I was given over to the Werewolves working under a man calling himself Lord Voldemort to be tortured and made 'obedient'…You let me suffer. I'm out. I want nothing from you or this corrupt family." Without further ado he signed the paper that would free him.

~XXX~

Remus shifted as he sat upon the cold stone steps, he sighed and watched James pacing before the front doors of Hogwarts. They had not been allowed to go with Sirius to the Ministry as they weren't family and so they had been stuck in the castle awaiting his return. The sun hung heavily in the sky and stretched the shadows, the air was warm and the scent of spring hung around them yet neither boy could keep still. Finally James froze in his pacing and gave a shout, Remus leapt to his feet and followed James as he took off across the grounds towards the figure walking sedately towards them.

Sirius spotted his two best friends and couldn't stop the smile from breaking out across his face, he gripped the documents in his hand and let James bowl into him. He flung his arms around his ex and felt him laughing as they embraced tightly. "Welcome home, Padfoot!" James breathed and Sirius pulled away gently, he looked into those hazel eyes he loved so much and sighed.

"I'm home, prongs." He breathed.

"Welcome back Sirius."

Sirius turned to see Remus standing in a patch of sunlight, it lit his hair with tones of golden brown, his dark eyes sparkled and he wore that wonderful gentle smile as usual. Sirius' own smile widened in response, the two took two steps towards each other and before they knew it they were kissing frantically. When they were forced to pull away to breathe Sirius pressed his forehead against Remus', he smiled and gently pushed strands of hair from his eyes. "I'm back…I'm back for good."

~XXX~

Sirius lay on his back on his bed, he felt relaxed and happy as he rested his head in Remus' lap. James was sitting by the window and staring out at the scenery as the sun set on the last day of term. "So, what happened to Greyback and his mates?" Sirius asked with a wide yawn. It had been several months since his injury and true to Remus' word the sight had returned to his damaged eye, but now it was forever circled in a ring of amber. The scarring on his face had faded to several silver lines and he had become used to the stares and whispers he received as he walked through the castle.

"Oh, they were sent to Azkaban." Remus replied with a small shrug.

Sirius grinned and snuggled deeper into his mate's lap. "Mm…good." He sighed.

"It's decided!" James said abruptly.

"What is?" Sirius replied, his eyes were feeling heavy and Remus' fingers in his hair felt so good it was lulling him to sleep.

"I'm going to ask Evans out!"

"What?!" Remus raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"Well, she reckons I've grown up, right? Then she won't mind giving it go…surely?" He turned an eager face to his friends, but his eyes lingered on Sirius who blinked steadily at him.

Slowly Sirius smiled. "Go for it. What's the worst that can happen?"

James grinned in return and Remus snorted. "She could hex his balls off." He said.

"This is quite true but he barely uses them, don't see that it'll make much of a difference." Sirius smirked as James threw a pillow at him, Remus laughed and was soon dragged into a violent pillow fight that concluded with the boys lying in a heap laughing brightly and quite red in the face.

The headline was the talk of the school, even on the train home Sirius was plagued by whispers wherever he went. His cousin had been convicted and sent to prison however his parents had told the world of his condition. He was the topic of much gossip but he found that he didn't care. In their train compartment he sat beside Remus, their hands clasped tightly as they talked and laughed. During these sunlit moments he could forget what had happened, he didn't feel the scars on his face and it was as if everything was going to be alright. So long as he had Remus at his side he could face everything the world threw at him, he could face down Death Eaters, Werewolves and Dementors…with Remus he felt invincible.

The train pulled up to the platform and the four friends disembarked, Peter followed them all dragging his trunk as they reached the barrier to return to Muggle London. They passed through and found themselves surrounded by crowds of people, Sirius turned to his boyfriend and smiled. "So, I'll see you later?"

"Yes, I will spend some time with my parents before coming over to James'."

Sirius' grin widened and he leaned in to Remus, their lips touched lightly. "See you later." He breathed and Remus moved closer, their lips met properly and they deepened the kiss.

James stood by deliberately avoiding staring at his friends, his eyes spotted his new love interest and he called out. Lily paused and looked back over her shoulder at him, she flashed him a brief smile and lifted her hand, the simple movement made his stomach twist pleasantly and he smiled to himself. Perhaps the summer wouldn't be so bad after all.

~XXX~

The bed complained loudly as Sirius arched his back, his hands slid down to tangle in soft brown hair and he hissed a name between his teeth. Sweat beaded on his brow and ran down his throat as a teasing tongue slid down his aching cock. "Fuck Remus…" He growled and looked down into smiling eyes, he felt Remus apply suction to his cock and groaned heavily. His eyes flickered and he smiled as bliss washed through him. "You're brilliant." He whispered and Remus chuckled around his mouthful. Abruptly he dragged his lover up so they were face to face, he brushed hair from Remus' face and kissed him deeply with both hands on either side of his face. He felt joy exploding in the pit of his stomach as Remus responded with as much passion, his body erupted into goose bumps and he moaned. "Love you…" He whispered as they pulled apart.

"I love you too, Sirius." Remus replied and left a lingering kiss on his stubble roughened jaw.

They made love slowly, their bodies a mass of sweaty limbs. Their stuttered breathing and soft, loving whispers filled the dark room as heat built between them. Sirius wrapped his legs around Remus' waist and moved in time with him, their tongues tangled within their mouths and fingers were wound into hair. They swallowed each other's gasps and soft swearing. Their eyes remained glued to each other as they glowed dimly in the gloom. Both had tiny smiles on their lips as they ran their fingers over each other's claiming marks.

Later, they lay curled around each other sleeping soundly, their minds far away in a land of dreams and where no harm could come to them. Nothing mattered, they were content to lie together forever, as lovers, as friends…as a pack.

**-FIN-**


End file.
